


Naruto the Orange Knight

by LeapingWithFaith



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Work In Progress, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2019-06-05 19:00:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15177230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeapingWithFaith/pseuds/LeapingWithFaith
Summary: The most extraordinarily powerful relics have almost all been lost to the ages. Only an ancient entity would remember the arts to create new ones and Naruto is bound to a demon that could, however, nothing is free.





	1. Prologue

Prologue: A Gift

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The previous night a heavy thunderstorm covered Konoha for hours. But now, only the dripping of rainwater from the leaves remained. At this early hour, a young blond carefully picked his way down from one of the massive trees. As he reached the ground, he clutched a small piece of metal to his chest.

Several weeks before, he'd found the metal in a cave littered with snake carvings. When he showed it to Hokage and answered the man’s questions about where he found it, he'd been ordered to never return to that cave.

The aged Hokage had identified the orange-gold fragment of metal as orichalcum, which meant mountain copper. It was a rare metal that was very rarely seen. Naruto had quickly decided that it was now his most prized possession. Sadly, a civilian had caught sight of it, and claimed that Naruto had stolen it from him.

This led to Naruto being chased from his home by the ensuing angry mob of civilians. Still, he'd held onto his treasure, so hiding in a forest and sleeping in a tree was totally worth it.

However, the main problem with the blond being chased into this forest during a rainstorm was that Naruto had no idea how to get out. His intention had been to leave the forest, but instead, he ended up heading deeper in.

The trees were large and as he moved, the leaves got closer together, blocking out more and more light. The bark on the trees darkened in color and the birds were no longer chirping. He had no idea that he had walked into a den of wolves. It made the blond shiver.

Before he even knew what had happened, Naruto felt a sharp pain in his back. The blond was launched forward several feet as blood spurted from the deep gashes that a large wolf had created on his back with its sharp claws. “GAAHHH!” The boy shouted in pain as he landed face first on the ground. After sliding a few feet he was able to look up only to see the five large wolves that were now surrounding him.

The large black wolves were snarling as drool dripped steadily from their maws, and Naruto’s eyes went wide when he realized he couldn’t even move. “ _ No _ ” he whispered, not seeing any way out of this deadly situation. The wolves got closer as Naruto felt blood running from the wounds on his back, down his side before pooling around his stomach. His right hand was still gripped tight around the small piece of orichalcum as tears started to fill his eyes. “I don’t want to die here.” He sobbed

**You wish to survive?**

A voice sounded out, but Naruto couldn’t tell from where. “Yes,” The blond answered as the wolves crept closer.

**What would you be willing to give up in order to survive?**

Time seemed to slow for Naruto as the wolves drew even closer, the blond now able to smell their foul breath. “What would I have to give up?” Naruto honestly wasn’t sure where the voice was coming from and thought he was hearing things.

**Yourself… and your treasure. If you give both your treasure and yourself to me then I will make sure that you survive this.**

Naruto was confused on what that meant as the largest of the wolves went to bite down on his neck. “Alright,” The blond said as the metal in his fist started to dissolve and his body suddenly became engulfed in orange light for several seconds. The wolves were sent skidding back as a large amount of energy burst from the blond’s body. Kicking up a large amount of dust that completely surrounded Naruto.

“ **Well isn’t this interesting. My chakra reacted quite well to your treasure.** ” The voice spoke as the cloud of dust dissipated. Standing in place of Naruto was an armored figure. The figure was roughly Naruto’s height, although he seemed to be a hair or two taller due to the armor that covered him from head to toe. A fiery orange armor.

_ What is going on?  _ Whispered Naruto.

It was an oddity for the young shinobi-in-training, speaking but not being able to speak at the same time. “ **Relax and I can explain later. For now, know this. You are mine now and these pathetic mongrels thought to take you from me.** ” With that, the armored figure dashed forward and slammed its right fist down onto the alpha wolf’s head. This caused the beast’s skull to fracture, bone and metal to tear through flesh, and blood to squirt out of the newly-created wound into the air and across the helmet-covered face of the armored figure. With the alpha dead, the armored figure turned towards the other wolves.

_ Do you have to kill them? _

Hearing the question from the blond made the armored figure chuckled. “ **I told you didn’t I? You belong to me and they tried to hurt you. For that, the only punishment is death.** ” The figure was at the next wolf’s side in a moment. His hands wrapped around the wolf’s head before, in a wrenching motion, he broke the animal’s neck.

Naruto whimpered at the sight, and the figure sighed. “ **If you want I can block out your access to your senses so you don’t have to watch, but if you really want to be a ninja you need to get used to death.** ”

Naruto said nothing as the last three wolves lunged at the figure, who was quick to spin around and intercept the attack. The wolf in the lead was struck with the figure’s armored covered heel and was sent crashing into a tree. A loud crack was heard both from the blow, and the wolf’s connection with the tree. As the wolf’s spine broke on the impact with the tree, The beast twitched a few times before it stopped moving permanently.

The other two remaining giant wolves bit down on the figure’s shoulders, only for their teeth to shatter on the near indestructible armor. “ **Foolish creatures, no-one touches what is mine.** ” The figure said before opening his fists which showed his gauntlets were tipped with deadly claws. He grabbed the wolves by their throats and in a jerking motion ripped them out. Blood coated the already stained armor as it ran from the wolves’ torn open throats. With a scoff, the figure let out some chakra that burned the blood covering him away.

Again, another whimper sounded from Naruto. “ **It is over now at least.”** The figure said in an attempt to be soothing. **“We will return to your home where we can talk. I will lead you from this forest before returning complete control of your body to you.** ” The voice was true to his word, as it walked their shared body to the fence that surrounded the forest and in a flash of orange Naruto stood there in his normal clothing once more.

Looking down at his hands the blond clenched his fists a few times. “That was really weird.” He muttered to himself before getting the urge to feel his back. His wounds were gone however the back of his shirt had a large gash through it.

**‘** **_You may want to think your replies to me now that others will be around to hear you. Otherwise, they will think you are going mad, or maybe even talking to me._ ** **’** The voice echoed in his head.

Naruto sort of nodded, although he was confused. ‘ _ Like this? _ ’

**Yes, now, head to your apartment and we can discuss things there.**

Naruto started walking home looking around at the many civilians that were glaring at him. One of the civilians approached him and Naruto recognized him as the man who had chased the him into the forest. “Where is my item, brat?”

Naruto shook his head. “I don’t have anything.” He replied before swallowing around a lump in his throat.

**‘** **_If he touches you, I will kill him._ ** **’** The voice growled out.

Naruto flinched at the voice’s tone before running around the ugly man and back to his apartment. He might not have liked the civilian, but that didn’t mean he wanted him to die. Getting to his apartment the blond quickly slammed the door behind him.

**‘** **_Go lay down on your bed and we will talk._ ** **’** The voice said.

Naruto walked to his bed slowly and laid down. He was extremely nervous now that he was actually going to talk about what happened in the forest. After all, he had been so scared, about to die, and bleeding from a now nonexistent wound. With that being the case he had given himself over and he didn’t know to what. The last part is what scared him the most. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was in a sewer.

**“Follow the red pipes.”** The disembodied voice told him.

With a nod and another deep breath, Naruto followed the red pipes and eventually found himself in a large room. In the center of that room, wrapped in chains attached to the wall, was the orange suit of armor. Beyond it a large cage. Inside the cage, was a boy with fiery orange hair and slitted crimson eyes. He was wearing a black kimono on that had the kanji for nine on the sleeves. Naruto found himself staring into the red eyes, thinking that the color was beautiful.

The boy chuckled. “ **Well at least your first impression of me isn’t that bad.** ” Naruto took a step back surprised that this boy was what had saved him. A hundred questions ran through his mind, but before he could ask any of them the boy spoke again. “ **Before we talk, and I know you have questions, could you do me a favor? Just close your eyes and imagine a couch behind me.** ”

Naruto shifted a little but did as he asked. When a blue couch actually appeared behind the other boy, Naruto took a step back in surprise. The red-eyed boy sat down and motioned for Naruto to join him. The blond did, but couldn’t help but ask. “How?”

The other boy chuckled. “ **You will have to be more specific, but let me get some of the basics out of the way. You created the couch because we are in your mindscape. A physical representation of your subconscious. You can control things to an extent here. How you got here is also simple. You were pulled into the seal because I wanted you to come in here with me and you were willing to come. Anything else before we start with the important stuff?** ”

Naruto nodded. “Who are you?”

The orange-haired boy shifted around to face Naruto a little more. “ **My name is Kurama and I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune.** ”

Naruto looked at the boy in shock before trying to crawl away, only to fall off the couch. “Wh-what?”

Kurama looked directly into Naruto’s wide, scared eyes. “ **I am the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked your village on the day of your birth. Although that is far from the whole story. There is no reason, however, for you to fear me. You are mine after all, and as such, no harm will befall you.** ”

Naruto honestly wasn’t sure how to feel about that. If what Kurama… If what the Kyuubi had said was true than Naruto had become a demon’s possession instead of dying. The blond wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He stood up to move away, but before taking a step away he tried to ask a question. “I-I… I mean w-why… I mean”

A finger was placed on top of the blond’s lips as he started stuttering. “ **I will tell you the whole story later, but know that I did not choose to attack your village. Just like I didn’t choose to be sealed away within you. Just as I didn’t choose to have you sleeping in the forest, although the civilians treat you like that because of me. I did, however, choose to save your life.** ”

Naruto was then pulled back onto the couch by the demon. “Why? Why did you save me?”

The demon smiled at the blond. “ **Because I could, because I wanted to, because doing it was easy, because it allowed me a little freedom from this seal, or maybe because your death would sadden me. There are several reasons so you can pick your favorite.** ”

Naruto couldn’t help but blush at those words. Looking away from the demon he saw the fiery orange armor. The armor was simple looking in appearance, although the metal was the same tint as Kurama’s hair. “How did you save me?”

Kurama also looked at the armor. “ **I took the metal fragment that you held so dear and using my chakra to create more of it, I fashioned you a suit of armor. A long time ago smiths could create masterful works that couldn’t be matched by today’s crafters. I used my knowledge of those smiths’ works to make your armor. As most of the metal for the armor was created from my chakra, the metal changed color from the orange-tinted gold of the fragment you found in the cave to the fiery orange you see now.** ”

Naruto looked at the armor a little more closely. “Y-you made the armor for me?” He said before looking back at the demon.

His response was a nod from the red-eyed boy. “ **I did… I can of course fight for you if I need to while I am sealed inside you, but I would prefer you know how to defend yourself. This armor will help keep you safe. You are mine, after all, I would hate to see you damaged.** ”

Naruto blushed at that. “When you say I am yours-”A clawed hand was suddenly cupping Naruto’s whisker-scarred cheek as crimson eyes met sapphire.

Naruto instantly snapped his mouth shut as he saw the demon grin, exposing sharp fangs. “ **You are mine. I will help keep you safe and ensure you are taken care of. In return, you will…** ” The demon stopped talking to chuckle before covering the blond’s mouth with his own. A few seconds later the red-eyed demon pulled away. “ **Does that answer your question?** ”

Naruto was blushing a deep red, from his neck all the way up to his hairline. Then he suddenly pushed the demon. “P-pervert!” He shouted before covering his face.

Another chuckle from the demon. “ **I won’t deny that.** ” He said before Naruto moved away from the demon even more. “ **But you have nothing to worry about. Even if you belong to me I won’t force you to do anything. You will in time, willing give yourself to me after all.** ” Kurama said with a confident smirk.

That got Naruto to relax a little, although his cheeks still maintained their colorful hue. He once more looked over the armor, reflecting on just how much had changed that morning. Still, he wouldn’t try to take back his promise. He had promised to give himself to Kurama, and he never went back on his word. “ **You might have lost your precious metal fragment, but I hope you like my gift.** ”

Turning from the armor and back to the demon, Naruto smiled. “I like it. I just… well…”

Kurama nodded understanding that this would take some getting used to for the human. “ **I understand it will take some adjusting to. You will need to adjust to a few new things in your life.** ”

Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Like what?”

The demon once again placed his hand on Naruto’s cheek to make sure the blond was looking him in the eyes. “ **Well for one, you will need to stop asking out that annoying pink-haired flea.** ” Naruto tried to look down at that but was unable to look away. “ **She is abusive, weak, and loud and I will no longer allow her to hit you. Next time she strikes you for merely being kind to her, I will make her regret she was ever born.** ”

Naruto glared at that, forgetting for a moment who was looking into his eyes. “You can’t just go around hurting people for no reason!”

The demon pinned Naruto by his throat at that. “ **I will not go around hurting anyone without cause, but I will not allow them to hurt** **_you!_ ** ” Naruto whimpered a little but didn’t say anything else. “ **We can talk more about what changes need to be made later, for now though… rest some.** ” The demon said, his eyes softening before releasing the boy.

Naruto hadn’t realized how tired he was until the word rest was mentioned. “Alright, sleep sounds good.” He muttered before going to stand, only to be dragged back down to the couch.

“ **Sleep here, in my arms,** ” Kurama whispered into the blond’s ear as he curled against him. Under any other circumstances Naruto would have been freaking out, but honestly, the ten-year-old just settled into the embrace, having never been held like this before. He had made a promise anyway.


	2. A Day in the Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto, now bound to the Kyuubi goes to the Academy and realizes that his day to day life has changed. Having the demon with him might just be a good thing though.

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself being cuddled by an orange haired boy. It took him a second to realize that the boy was, in fact, the Kyuubi no Kitsune and that the events of the previous day did happen. Doing his best to slip away from the demon, Naruto took off walking down the only path in his mindscape.

He wondered how he was able to get away without waking the demon up but was glad for the time alone. He walked for a while, not really sure what else was in his mind, and eventually found a long row of doors.  “ **Your memories.”**

Hearing Kurama’s voice from seemingly everywhere, Naruto looked around for the demon but didn’t see him. “Where-”

**“You are still within your mind. My thoughts can easily reach you anywhere here, just like your thoughts can easily reach me.”** Came the reply.

Naruto nodded in understanding. “So these doors are my memories then. What happens if I open one?”

The demon responded after a few seconds.  **“You would have to live through the memory again. You would remember it perfectly, feeling everything you felt at the time. The pain the first time you broke your hand training, the taste of your very first bowl of ramen, the joy you felt meeting Ayame and Teuchi for the first time. You would feel it all again, including the bad moments.”**

Naruto looked down as he remembered some of the lonely days and nights. Those were times he didn’t want to relive. “How can I tell which is which?”

**“If you focus on a door an image should appear. That will give you an idea of the memory within.”** Naruto looked towards one of the closest doors and focused. The image that appeared on the door was of the wolves closing in on him. Shaking his head he walked through the hall but didn’t enter any of the doors, even the ones he knew contained happy memories.  **“Are there no memories that you would want to relive?”**

Naruto shook his head. “No there isn’t, not right now anyway.”

**“Then come back here and talk with me more.”** Chuckled the demon.

Naruto started walking that way, although he wasn’t rushing. “What do we still need to talk about?”

**“There is little we** **_need_ ** **to talk about this instant, I just want to talk to you more. Would you rather wake up and sit alone in your bed for a few hours until the academy starts?”** Naruto didn’t answer that and just kept walking. Eventually, he made it to the room with his armor and the seal. Kurama was still sitting on the couch that had been made for him. “ **Come, sit with me.** ” Naruto nodded and moved over to the couch sitting down as far away from the demon as he could.

Kurama chuckled at that before shifting so that he was facing Naruto. “ **So, is there anything you want to ask me?** ” Naruto looked into the demon’s eyes, relief showing when the demon didn’t move closer. He might not want to go back on his word, but he wasn’t comfortable cuddling up to the demon. He had last night because after almost dying he just didn’t have the energy to fight or pull away. There were many questions he could ask though, and he wasn’t sure what to ask first. 

As the boy didn’t answer Kurama decided to start their conversation off. “ **Did you sleep well last night?** ”

Naruto nodded and answered before thinking about it. “I don’t think I have ever slept better.”

That got a grin from the demon. “ **Good to know.** ”

Naruto blushed a little at the tone the red-eyed demon used. “Why are you nice to me?” The question was one that the blond wanted to know. He was raised to believe that Kurama was a monster who wanted to destroy everything and everyone.

Kurama chuckled and moved closer to the blond. “ **You are mine, so being mean to you serves no purpose. That is not what you want to know though. The reason I am drawn to you is because you are such a pure creature. I am surprised you are not a holy being rather than a human.** ”

Naruto blushed a little more. “So is that why you wanted me to be yours?”

The demon nodded. “ **You have had to face the scorn of your people for something you had no say in. Yet, even though you didn’t know why they hated you, why you were forced to be alone, or why you were ignored, you stayed pure and forgiving. I have never met anyone or anything like you before. No one… not even him.** ”

Naruto raised a brow at that. “Not even who?”

Kurama shook his head. “ **I will tell you later. Is there anything else you want to know?** ”

Naruto looked down at his feet. “Why did you attack Konoha? If you aren’t mean like everyone makes you out to be, then why attack the village?”

The demon closed his eyes. “ **That is something else we will talk more about later. I will tell you that I was being manipulated when I attacked Konoha but that doesn’t mean I am nice. I just normally don’t care about what happens to humans, with you being the obvious exception.** ” Naruto went to speak when the demon finished talking but didn’t get a chance to as Kurama’s eyes snapped open. “ **The old fool is here to talk with you. You should wake up.** ”

Naruto went to speak again wondering who Kurama was calling an old fool when he found himself staring at the ceiling above his bed. Getting up the blond heard a knock on his door, and when he opened it, he saw the Hokage.

**‘** **_Tell him nothing about me or our conversations!_ ** **’** Hearing the Kyuubi roar in his mind Naruto had to hide a wince.

The Hokage noticed but figured the blond had hurt himself training. “Ahh, Naruto-kun can I come in?”

Naruto nodded and smiled. “Of course, old man.” Naruto led the Hokage into his living/dining room and motioned towards a small table. “So is everything alright, old man? I am not supposed to pick up my allowance from you until Friday?”

The old man sat down before nodding. “Yes, everything is fine Naruto-kun. I merely wanted to know why I had received a report about you stealing from a civilian.”

Naruto frowned a little before sitting down himself. “I was walking down the street to my apartment before it started raining, and someone saw my orichalcum fragment. They said I stole it and tried to take it away from me.”

The Hokage sighed. “The council is making a fuss about this, so I would like for you to give me the fragment for a bit. I will show it to them and explain how you found it and brought it to me, and then I will return it.”

**‘** **_Tell him you lost it in the forest while hiding._ ** **’** Naruto heard the demon’s voice in his head and sighed.

“I spent the night in the forest because the civilian who said I stole it chased me there. I lost it somewhere in the forest.” The blond said with a frown. He hated lying to the Hokage but didn’t know what was going on.

The Hokage sighed and nodded. “Very well then. I need to get back to my office, but I will deal with this matter Naruto.” The man stood up and left.

Naruto got up and got ready to go to the academy. ‘ _ Why did you have me lie to the Hokage? _ ’

The Kyuubi didn’t answer right away. ‘ **_We will talk about it later._ ** ’

Naruto scowled at that. ‘ _ But- _ ’

The demon didn’t let him finish. ‘ **_The old fool has spent years lying to you, and if you still had your precious orichalcum fragment he would have taken it and you would never have seen it again. He would have given it to the man who claimed you stole it in order to appease the council of this village. While that might keep them from being upset with you over the ordeal they will just find something else to torment you about._ ** ’

Naruto frowned. ‘ _ He wouldn’t do that. _ ’

A growl came from the demon. ‘ **_He has done it before. He will do it again. We will talk about this later though. You need to get ready to go to the academy._ ** ’

Naruto frowned a little more before showering and brushing his teeth. Afterward, he went to his dresser and put on his blue shorts and white shirt that had the Uzumaki spiral on it, although the blond didn’t know the truth about the spiral. The blond then headed to the academy.

When he got there he saw Sasuke was sitting by himself, and a few civilian girls were sitting nearby. Naruto was about to go sit by Sasuke when he heard Kurama again. ‘ **_If you sit next to Sasuke, the females of this class will object to it and tell you to move. Remember if that pink-haired girl strikes you again I will punish her._ ** ’

Naruto hearing that, went and sat by himself before placing his head down on the desk. He had sat a few rows behind Sasuke in the seat closest to the window so that only one person could sit by him. Naruto paid little attention to the people coming in, but he did notice that a few civilian girls sat by Sasuke. Normally those girls would avoid him and Sakura would come in and make him move away from Sasuke, and take the seat by Sasuke instead.

Shikamaru eventually came in and took the seat beside Naruto, with Choji following him and taking the seat on the other side of Shikamaru. Naruto didn’t mind though because as far as he knew Kurama wouldn’t have a problem with them. Sakura came racing in at the same time as Ino. “I won, Ino-pig that means I get to sit next to Sasuke-kun.”

A blonde girl scoffed. “As if, Forehead. My foot was obviously in the door first. I get to sit by Sasuke-kun.”

One of the civilians sitting next to Sasuke spoke up. “Actually, Sakura, Ino, I am sitting next to Sasuke-kun.”

The two girls turned and saw that she was sitting next to the Uchiha. Ino for her part, sighed and sat down with a few of the other girls she gossiped with, while Sakura turned her attention to Naruto. “Naruto you idiot why didn’t you save my seat!”

Naruto frowned at that. “You always tell me not to sit by Sasuke, so I didn’t.”

The girl was about to speak again when the classes two instructors walked into the room. Mizuki was a pale man with silver hair and dull green eyes, and Iruka was a tan man with brown hair and eyes. Iruka also had a scar running sideways across his face, going from one cheek across the nose and ending on the other cheek. “Alright everyone please sit down for now.”

Sakura was upset but moved to sit by some of the other girls, although she avoided sitting by Ino. Iruka smiled at everyone. “Alright, so today we will be reviewing the transformation jutsu we started learning last week before heading outside to spar and practice with our shuriken and kunai.”

Naruto heard a growl from within his head. ‘ **_This academy is a joke. Learning three jutsu and how to throw kunai and shuriken doesn’t prepare you to kill._ ** ’ Naruto didn’t say anything as students started getting called up front to try to perform the jutsu. Naruto was a little nervous as he still couldn’t perform the transformation or clone techniques right. ‘ **_You fail them because you put too much chakra into the jutsu. When you are called up try to focus on using as little chakra for the technique as possible._ ** ’

Naruto nodded to the Kyuubi. The blond had noticed that Kurama’s voice was a lot softer when the demon was talking about him, then when the demon was talking about the academy. ‘ _ Alright, but how do you know that? _ ’

Naruto didn’t have to wait long for a response. ‘ **_I know plenty of jutsu and a lot about chakra and jutsu theory. We can talk more about that later, just trust me._ ** ’

Again, Naruto nodded as he noticed Hinata going up front to try and transform. The girl successfully transformed into Iruka before heading back to her seat. ‘ _ Alright Kurama, I will trust you for now.’ _

Soon enough, it was Naruto’s turn and as he got to the front of the class he saw everyone was already chuckling, assuming the blond would fail. Naruto took a long deep breath before gathering his chakra and using the correct hand signs. He made sure to focus on using as little chakra as he could and called out the name of the technique. “ **Transform!** ”

In a small puff of smoke, Naruto had transformed into a perfect copy of Iruka. Iruka looked him over before nodding. “Good job Naruto, I can see you have been practicing.”

Naruto smiled at the praise and ended the technique with a bow, before heading back to his seat. “Thanks, Iruka-sensei.” Sitting back down and ignoring the shocked looks on the faces of his classmates, Naruto closed his eyes. ‘ _ Thank you Kurama, I did it! You were right it was a lot easier when I focused on using less chakra. _ ’

Naruto felt an odd nudging sensation from within his own mind. ‘ **_You have more chakra in your body than any of your pathetic classmates. They belittle you for struggling with simple techniques forgetting that you have no one to help you train and not understanding that your large chakra reserves make jutsu like the basic academy ones hard to perform._ ** ’

Naruto opened his eyes and looked around the room. ‘ _ My classmates aren’t that bad… _ ’ He said defending them.

His reply was a scoff. ‘ **_I will admit that some of them are a little less pathetic than the rest, but they are all that bad._ ** ’

Naruto frowned at that but everyone was called outside before he could respond. Deciding not to argue with the demon, Naruto sighed. He knew that if he argued with the demon he would probably end up admitting that he couldn’t really consider himself close to anyone in his class. Well other than Iruka, the man had saved him in the past and then berated him for putting himself in danger.

As they all got outside Iruka told them to line up and prepare to throw their shuriken and kunai at the targets nearby. One by one the students again tried to get a high score and Naruto was ready to get this part of the test over with. At least this section of the test he always passed. Eventually, they finished and moved over to the sparring ring. “Alright, class! We will be doing things a little different from now on. When we train using taijutsu we will now have a small tournament and we will no longer be separating you based on gender.”

That got some shocked gasps and Naruto looked down. ‘ _ You won’t hurt anyone right? I mean if I lose a spar that is my fault, not theirs, right? _ ’

Iruka kept talking, mainly saying the same thing he said anytime they were set to spar, about fighting with taijutsu only and respecting their classmates. Naruto didn’t hear the man though. ‘ **_I will not interfere… Sparring is important for your growth as a shinobi, although I would prefer to fight for you until you learn a proper fighting style instead of having you fight like a brawler._ ** ’

Naruto looked down a little embarrassed at first and focused once more on what Iruka was saying. “Now then since we have twenty-seven students, someone in the first round will have to fight twice. Then there will be thirteen students left and someone will once again fight twice. We will then be down to six students and after three more matches three students will end up in the finals for a free-for-all. The first fight will be Sasuke fighting Ami.”

Sasuke got in the ring and looked the purple-haired civilian girl that had spent the afternoon sitting by him. The girl at least didn’t screech like Sakura. However, she also didn’t move to the ring. “I can’t fight Sasuke-kun! I concede!” She said dramatically.

Iruka sighed before motioning for Sasuke to stay in the ring.  “Alright then Sasuke is the one who will fight twice and his match is against Kuro.”

Kuro was a black-haired civilian boy who got into the ring with Sasuke. He knew he couldn’t win, but wasn’t going to give up without fighting. The match lasted only a few minutes with the civilian boy trying to hit Sasuke a few times, and the raven-haired boy countering and knocking Kuro out of the ring while looking both bored and annoyed.

The next few fights were between civilian born students, and then most of the clan heirs, as well as Sakura fought some civilians. In the end, there was only Naruto and a civilian boy named Tomo. The boy was one of the weaker civilians and spent most of his time reading.

Still, Tomo got ready to face off against Naruto, and the blond got ready to fight as well. ‘ **_I doubt you will let me fight for you, but will you at least let me give you instructions?_ ** ’

Naruto nodded as he got in the ring, luckily Iruka had asked if the boys were ready and thought Naruto was nodding to him. “Alright begin!” Iruka called out.

Tomo charged at Naruto and Naruto focused on what Kurama told him to do. He ducked under the first hit and swept Tomo’s feet out from under him, getting shocked stares once more from his classmates. Tomo hit the ground and rolled away from Naruto before standing up. He was surprised as Naruto normally fought Sasuke and lost instantly.

Tomo took a defensive stance as Naruto charged and threw a punch. Tomo went to push the blond’s fist away, but Naruto opened his fist and grabbed Tomo’s arm when the boy tried and pulled Tomo in before punching him with his other hand. Tomo hit the ground once more, his lip bleeding just a little when Iruka spoke up. “Tomo has been knocked out of the ring. Naruto wins.”

Naruto moved towards Tomo and offered him a hand to help him up. Tomo slapped away the blond’s hand and Naruto cringed when he heard a deep growl from within his mind. The blond quickly moved away from Tomo worried that Kurama would take control and attack the boy. ‘ **_Insolent hairless ape! You offer him a hand and he-_ ** ’

Naruto cut the demon off though. ‘ _ It is okay! It isn’t his fault. _ ’

Kurama stopped growling at that. ‘ **_You stand up to me to defend someone who hates you…_ ** ’ Then Naruto heard the demon let out a soft sigh. ‘ **_I suppose he didn’t try to physically hurt you after the spar ended though, so would it please you to know I won’t attack him._ ** ’

Naruto smiled as Iruka looked over who was still in the tournament. There were Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Shino, Kiba, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and four civilian boys. Sasuke was once again paired with a girl, in this case, Sakura who surrendered and then paired against a civilian boy who he beat. Hinata, Shino, and Ino were all then paired with civilian-born boys and won their matches. Although, Ino had gotten a little bruised up and tried to cry to Sasuke who ignored her.

Then Shikamaru and Choji were told to fight each other, and neither of them wanted to fight the other. Shikamaru just stood there while Choji glanced around nervously before Shikamaru sighed. “Troublesome, I give up. I am low on energy anyway.”

Iruka nodded. “Alright, winner Choji. The last match of this round will be between Kiba and Naruto.”

Kiba moved into the ring with a grin. “Alright, this will be cake!”

Naruto moved into the ring as well and frowned. He hated being looked down on, but Kiba did have more training than him. ‘ **_You can give up if you want, or you could always play dirty like a shinobi._ ** ’

Naruto took in another breath. ‘ _ What do you mean? _ ’

Kurama chuckled in Naruto’s mind. ‘ **_The boy is from a clan that prides itself on their increased senses. You could use his sense of hearing against him by screaming as loud as you can. His enhanced sense of hearing will cause him pain from it and distract him long enough for you to strike._ ** ’

Naruto looked right at Kiba who was taunting the blond. “Come on, I will even let you get the first hit in.”

Naruto ignored Kiba in favor of talking to Kurama. ‘ _ Isn’t that unfair though? _ ’

A scoff from the demon was his answer. ‘ **_A ninja is supposed to be a killer who strikes from the shadow. Do you think an enemy shinobi will ignore such an advantage? You can think of it as possibly saving his life in the future by making him aware of what could happen._ ** ’

Naruto nodded his head and took in a deep breath as Kiba lost his patience and charged at Naruto. “AHHHHHHH!!!!” Naruto screamed as loud as he could when Kiba got in close, causing the brunette he was fighting to drop to his knees and scream in pain while clutching his ears. As Kiba held his ears Naruto moved in and slammed his knee into the brunette’s forehead knocking the Inuzuka out.

Sakura instantly started shouting. “IRUKA-SENSEI, BAKA NARUTO CHEATED!”

Iruka for his part was staring at Naruto a little surprised. “Naruto didn’t cheat, there was no rule against screaming, Sakura. Naruto you win, but I am surprised. Why did you decide to scream like that?”

Naruto scratched the back of his head. “Well, Kiba has enhanced senses right? So, I thought it would give me an opening.”

Sakura turned towards Naruto. “That is playing dirty!”

Naruto didn’t mean to respond, but he remembered what Kurama said and just spoke up. “Well, if I hadn’t done it in a spar then an enemy ninja could have done it after we graduate.”

Iruka stepped in between them as Sakura readied herself to punch Naruto. “Naruto is right Sakura. If you don’t give it everything you have during your spars then you are only making your sparring partner weaker.”

Naruto didn’t notice that Hinata was staring at him with stars in her eyes at that. Naruto saw Kiba coming to and moved over to help the boy up, just like he had with Tomo. Kiba seeing Naruto offering his hand though took it, and let Naruto help him up while rubbing his ears. “Dirty trick, Naruto.” He muttered. “Don’t think it will work next time.”

Naruto just smiled and moved back off to the side. “I won’t expect it to, Kiba.” He said before turning to Iruka as the man called the next match.

Iruka looked towards Hinata and Shino. “Shino, Hinata, the two of you are next.”

The two sparred for a while before Shino caught Hinata with a solid blow to the stomach and took several palm strikes in return. Hinata had been sent skidding back from the hit to the stomach and dropped to her knees coughing. After a few seconds and speaking to both of them, Iruka called the match a draw as neither had the energy to continue.

The next match was Naruto vs Choji. Naruto got into the ring bouncing on his feet. With Kurama advising him, he had done better in his spars then he normally did. Choji for his part didn’t look like he wanted to fight. As Naruto got ready to move in, Choji raised his hand and surrendered.

Naruto sighed and moved back to the sidelines. ‘ **_Foolish mortal…_ ** ’

Naruto watched as Ino and Sasuke entered the ring. ‘ _ What do you mean? _ ’

Naruto could almost feel Kurama rolling his eyes. ‘ **_He refused to fight the shadow-user and then refused to fight you. He should have fought both for the same reason you needed to scream at the mortal with the enhanced senses. By refusing to fight he is making you weaker in your future fights._ ** ’

Naruto nodded his head in understanding. At that moment Sasuke knocked Ino outside of the ring. ‘ _ At least Ino fought him instead of giving up. _ ’ Naruto thought to himself before Iruka motioned for Naruto to meet Sasuke in the ring.

“Since Shino and Hinata’s match ended in a draw, the final match will be Naruto vs Sasuke,” Iruka said as Naruto and Sasuke got ready to face off.

Naruto looked into Sasuke’s eyes and once again saw the anger and hatred that he normally saw. He recognized the eyes as he had seen them on the villagers countless times, but he could tell that Sasuke wasn’t really looking at him. ‘ _ Any advice Kurama? _ ’

A few seconds passed as Iruka got ready to start the match. ‘ **_He is faster than you and normally ends the match in one blow. He is likely to defeat you before you can attempt any tricks that would help you win. We will be increasing your training right away, but with me here, you can train properly instead of hitting that little punching bag in your room._ ** ’

Naruto was embarrassed by that but didn’t have time to show it as Sasuke charged at him. Naruto saw Sasuke coming and tried to move out of the way of the first hit, but knew he couldn’t make it in time. In that split second Naruto made a plan and fell onto his back, Sasuke’s punch missing him by a hair.

Naruto then kicked out with his feet as he was falling, but Sasuke jumped to avoid the blow. Naruto didn’t get a chance to do anything else though as Sasuke came down and slammed his knee into the blond’s stomach. The hit knocked the breath out Naruto and Sasuke pinned him, causing Iruka to stop the match.

Naruto stood up while rubbing his stomach a little before looking at Sasuke with a determined expression. ‘ _ When can we start training? _ ’ He thought to Kurama.


	3. Chapter 2

Naruto: The Orange Knight

Chapter 2: A Traitor

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Kurama (Kyuubi) x Naruto yaoi.

Training Ground Thirty-One was almost always empty it seemed. At least that was the case up until two years ago. That was when Naruto started training there when he wasn’t at the academy. The Kyuubi was a slave driver, expecting nothing but perfection from ‘his human’ and Naruto did his best to live up to the demon’s expectations.

Naruto had grown closer to Kurama and found out that the demon enjoyed cuddling. Naruto had found it odd at first, as it didn’t seem to matter whether Kurama was in his fox form or human form, he still tended to drag Naruto into the blond’s mindscape at night and wrap himself around the blond to sleep. The demon’s tails were incredibly soft though, so Naruto never really complained.

He actually stopped caring at all after the first month of knowing Kurama. The demon never lied to Naruto, he trained him, made sure he ate properly and was very affectionate towards the blond, he also never pushed the blue-eyed boy when it came to the physical aspects of their relationship.

In fact, the first few weeks Naruto was always nervous of what the demon would ask or tell him to do, but after two years they had done nothing more than cuddle and occasionally give the other a peck on the cheek or lips. After the second-month the blond found himself enjoying his time with Kurama, without worrying about anything other than the demon’s homicidal tendencies towards the villagers as the Kyuubi hated most of the inhabitants of Konoha.

This was partially due to the civilians’ attitude towards Naruto and partially because the demon tended to see the worst in people. Kurama was more than willing to kill most of the villagers when they insulted the blond and Naruto had to ask him time and time again not to. So far the demon had held back which made Naruto smile.

The blond’s only real complaint was that Kurama hadn’t told Naruto everything he wanted to know, often times just telling the blond they would talk later if a subject was broached that the demon didn’t want to discuss.

At the moment though, Naruto was currently training in his armored form. He had learned that the armor grew as he did, and was bound to him. If anyone but Naruto, or Kurama controlling the blond’s body, tried to use the armor, not that they could with it being pulled into Kyuubi’s seal when unequipped, the armor was designed to burn them slightly.

Shaking his head the blond placed his hands in a cross seal. “ **Shadow Clone Jutsu!** ” He called out as several other armor-covered blonds appeared. The armor was linked to Naruto’s chakra and cloned when he made his shadow clones. “ **Alright… Let’s get wild!** ” Naruto said, his voice sounding gruff through the helmet.

In an instant, a clone was in front of Naruto throwing a punch which the original blond ducked. He twisted his body and raised up onto his hands and kicked the clone back. Normally the clones dispelled in one hit, but in the armor, the clones would last several. The fight continued on like that, with Naruto’s clones attacking him through various methods and the blond countering. It helped him learn which offensive maneuvers and counters worked best at the same time.

Eventually, the clones were all dispelled and Naruto was standing alone. His armor disappeared a few seconds later, revealing several bruises and a busted lip. Naruto’s armor was strong, but his clones had the same armor covering them, making their blows capable of damaging Naruto through his armor. ‘ **_That is enough for your training today. Go home and enter the seal and we can talk. Graduation is tomorrow and I believe it is time you know some of the things I have kept from you._ ** ’

Naruto sent a mental nod in reply and started heading home. He got to his apartment and threw his shirt off his body before heading to the bed. Sitting in a meditative position before closing his eyes. When he opened them again he was standing in front of both his armor and a giant nine-tailed fox. “Are you staying in your fox form tonight, Kurama?”

The demon leaned his head down, showing that in this form, Naruto wasn’t even the size of one of the demon’s eyes. A few seconds later the fox shrunk down until he was standing about the size of a normal fully grown human from his paws to the top of his body. From snout to the tip of his tail though he was larger than a couple humans laid together. “ **Yes, I feel like staying in my fox form tonight. Come into the seal and sit down saiai (1).** ”

Naruto blushed a little at being called such an intimate name but did what Kurama told him. He entered the seal, where there was a gigantic bed built in a bowl-like shape. The idea for it was that Kurama could curl around Naruto while in his fox form. The bed within the seal was set to change based on Kurama’s form and size. In his human form, Kurama preferred a normal bed with extremely soft sheets, and Naruto made sure the bed was big enough for both of them.

Naruto got into the center of the bowl-shaped bed and Kurama curled around him. The demon laid his face near Naruto’s and looked into the boy’s eyes. “ **You have asked several questions that I have put off answering, such as the truth about my attack and the truth about your parents. I will answer some of them now that you are ready to graduate, but there are still some things I want to keep to myself for a while, saiai.** ”

Again Naruto blushed, but he nodded his head. “Why did you attack Konoha then?” The blond knew that something about the attack coincided with his parents, so figured this was the question to ask first.

The demon closed his red eyes for a few moments. “ **I will get to that in a moment, saiai, but first let me explain something about us Bijuu.** ” He said, causing the blond to go wide-eyed. “ **Like all high-class demons, the Bijuu have a special ability we use. The powers encompass a wide variety of things, for instance the Sanbi, can manipulate water freely and the Nanabi can fly and make an explosive powder.** ”

Kurama took a breath and continued. “ **Some time ago humans learned that if they sealed us inside themselves, the humans could gain our powers. As such, they started trying to seal us away. I refused to be used in that manner and often times killed anyone who tried. I can sense the negative emotions in humans. All the rage, lust, greed, fear, and really any other dark emotion, I feel it all the time from everyone. So, eventually when I got tired of people trying to seal me away, I made an example out of the most corrupt town I could find.**

**It worked and the attempts to seal me stopped for a while. When the attempts started up I would find a new town to destroy. This is why I am seen as a walking natural disaster and a mindless beast. Eventually, I was approached by an Uchiha and forcibly placed under a contract seal. The Uchiha’s name was Madara and he tried to make me destroy his former home.** ”

Again the demon stopped to take a breath. “ **Madara’s plan was stopped by the First Hokage, and the Hokage then deemed me too dangerous to be allowed to be free and his wife sealed me away within herself.** ”

Naruto couldn’t believe that. “You mean you were sealed before?”

Kurama nodded. “ **Her name was Mito Uzumaki and she was my first container. She kept me sealed within her for so many years, but when she neared the end of her life she sent for another Uzumaki to be brought to Konoha. They sent her niece or grandniece to Konoha to become my new container. The woman’s name was Kushina Uzumaki and she was your mother.** ”

Kurama was quick to place a tail over the blond’s mouth to keep him from speaking up. “ **Let me finish before I answer any more questions. I was sealed in your mother and she used her chakra and control over her mindscape to keep me pinned to a giant ball of molten rock. She believed me to be nothing more than a mindless beast and I hated her for it. So when her seal was at her weakest I took my chance to try to escape, but she knew childbirth weakened the seal and your father was there to hold me at bay.**

**Suddenly though another Uchiha appeared. It wasn’t Madara, but he claimed he was. He attacked you and your father protected you, but this allowed the masked man to kidnap your mother and extract me out of her.** ”

Naruto had questions but he was too absorbed in the story to ask them now. “ **Your mother survived the extraction, as she was an incredibly strong woman and your father got her to a safe place. The masked Uchiha had obtained Madara’s contract seal somehow and ordered me to attack Konoha. I assume that while I was destroying the village your father fought the man because he was nowhere to be seen until the contract seal was destroyed. After twenty years chained to a ball of molten rock with spikes piercing my tails though, I was extremely angry and just kept attacking the village.**

**Your father, he then summoned a toad on my head and teleported me away. Your mother created a barrier to keep other people from interfering and held me down with special chains she could create with her chakra and then at the cost of his own life your father sealed me into you. (2)** ”

Naruto couldn’t help but speak up there. “You mean my dad was-”

Kurama interrupted so he could continue his story. “ **The Fourth Hokage, yes. He sealed me into you as he died. Between childbirth, my extraction, creating the barrier and holding me down, your mother completely emptied her chakra pools and died as well. She was able to hold on long enough for the Third to find you and take you from her arms. Her last words were that she loved you. The Third Hokage then refused to let your godfather take care of you as he said the man’s spy network was too important. Then the old fool announced to everyone that you were my container when he knew that your mother’s status as my container, as well as Mito’s, were hidden to prevent anyone from hating them.**

**The old fool then refused to announce your heritage when your godmother asked him to and when your godmother then asked to adopt you the old fool told her no. She was the matriarch of the Uchiha Clan, your classmate Sasuke’s mother. The Third told her that you being in a clan would upset the balance of power between the clans. An obvious lie. I waited, watching you through the years. At first, I wanted to kill you, but after seeing how pure you stayed throughout everything, well my feelings obviously changed saiai.** ”

Naruto looked down. A part of him understood why Kurama considered the Hokage an old fool now, but was unsure what to think of the old man. The Third was one of the only people the blond could count on for so long. Naruto still had a few new questions, but knowing about his parents now, Naruto just curled into the fox and cried silently. Knowing that his mother survived so much just to hold him in her arms for a few more seconds and say she loved him were enough to make him break a promise for the first time in his life, and that promise was his promise to himself to never let anyone see him cry.

All of Kurama’s tails wrapped around the boy. “ **It is alright saiai, I have seen you cry before, I won’t see you as weak. I know you have been thinking the villagers were right about your mother and father abandoning you when I refused to talk about it. They didn’t though, they both loved you more than anything.** ”

Once Naruto settled down a little he spoke up. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner Kurama?” He asked sniffling a little.

The fox sighed. “ **I wanted to wait until you were a little calmer and a little more disciplined. If someone insults your parents because you are an orphan, you will have to ignore them and act like you don’t know who your parents are. If you even say anything about knowing them or who they are no one in Konoha will want to believe you, and the council will likely try to punish you for mentioning the Fourth who they see as a hero.** ”

As much as the blond didn’t like that, he knew Kurama was right. If he had been told two years ago he likely would have blurted it out. “I understand… I should go shower before getting ready for bed.”

The fox nodded. “ **I will be waiting for you to return inside the seal then.** ” Naruto nodded before closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he was sitting on his bed and got up to get ready for bed.

The next day the blond found himself sitting at the academy ready for graduation. “Alright, class so we have our written test, our accuracy test, our basic jutsu test, and our taijutsu test. We will start with the written test which Mizuki is handing out now.” Iruka said.

Naruto watched Mizuki handing the papers out and noticed that the silver-haired man gave him the paper that was on the bottom of the stack instead of a paper from the top. When Naruto looked down at the paper he had to fight not to roll his eyes. If he had never met Kurama he would assume he just didn’t study enough, but this test was obviously not meant for an academy student. ‘ **_The ignorant ape obviously wants you to fail. Let me kill him, he is a horrible person anyway._ ** ’

Naruto mentally sighed. ‘ _ Kurama you can’t just kill someone for something like this. Sure he is a jerk, even if he is good at hiding it, but that is no reason to kill him. So should I bring the advanced test to Iruka’s attention? _ ’

Kurama sent the blond a mental nod and Naruto spoke up. “Iruka-sensei something is odd with this test.”

Iruka found it weird that Naruto brought this up because as of two years ago the blond straightened up as a student and stopped playing pranks and acting like a clown. Iruka thought that Naruto had straightened up because the blond did good on the transformation jutsu and in his spars two years ago which led to the blond realizing how much better it was to get positive attention for doing things right.

“Let me see,” Iruka said before getting up to look at the paper. “An advanced test must have gotten mixed into the papers,” Iruka said after looking the questions over. Iruka made sure Naruto got a normal test and the blond finished it within the time they had.

Then the class was led outside for the accuracy and taijutsu portion. The students went one by one, throwing their kunai and shuriken before sparring with Mizuki. Iruka for his part, had stayed inside to grade the papers but came out right as Shikamaru was taking his turn. Soon enough it was Naruto’s turn and he stepped up to take his accuracy test.

Naruto noticed that the kunai and shuriken Mizuki handed him were old and dull, but smirked. He didn’t plan on failing after all. In order to work with the dull kunai and shuriken, he activated the chakra flow technique and the kunai and shuriken started glowing. Naruto threw them and got a perfect score. It was no longer a surprise to his classmates as Naruto’s scores had steadily improved since he met Kurama.

Then it was time for Naruto’s taijutsu test. The blond got into the sparring ring and looked at Mizuki. He was sure the man would try to sabotage him in some way but with the test covering hand-to-hand combat he wasn’t sure how. Mizuki set the timer and spoke up. “Alright, the same rules as the rest of your classmates. You have five minutes to land five hits or knock me out of the ring.”

Naruto nodded and rushed forward to hit Mizuki, who went to counter faster than he did with the rest of Naruto’s classmates. Naruto got thrown back and almost landed out of the ring. ‘ **_The filth is trying to make sure you fail. Take your weight seals off and take him out now!_ ** ’

Naruto nodded and with a mental command released the weight seals that were on his body. He instantly felt light as a feather and smirked. Kurama had put the seals on him two years ago and had increased them every once in a while. The demon had explained that he was good enough with seals that when Naruto was about to die he broke part of the seal that contained him in order to help the human.

Shaking his head Naruto dashed forward and when Mizuki went to strike him, Naruto disappeared in a burst of speed. Mizuki’s eyes went wide as he looked around for the blond. “What?” The man said before Naruto kicked the man in the chest as he dropped down from the sky. The truth was that the boy had jumped Mizuki’s attack.

Mizuki skidded back and ended up outside of the ring. Mizuki instantly put a fake smile on his face. “Impressive Naruto-kun, but you fail for using whatever technique that was that increased your speed.”

Naruto shook his head. “I didn’t use any jutsu Mizuki-sensei. I might have pumped a little chakra through my body, but that is allowed otherwise Hinata wouldn’t have been able to use her family’s fighting style.”

Iruka nodded and spoke before Mizuki could. “He has a point Mizuki, Naruto passes.”

Mizuki kept smiling. “Of course, well, it is time for the basic academy jutsu then. We can do it inside or out here.”

Iruka shook his head. “We will go inside which is standard procedure and call the students into a room one by one,” Iruka said as he led the students inside. Then he got out a clipboard and started calling them back into the examination room. As all the exams were done alphabetically by a student’s name, Naruto got comfortable since he was next to last.

Eventually, it came time for Naruto to go take his exam. He walked to a small room with a desk that Iruka and Mizuki were in. Mizuki was smiling when Naruto walked in. “Well Naruto-kun, the jutsu you are to perform is the standard clone.”

Naruto had to fight in order to keep from rolling his eyes. ‘ _ He really wants me to fail for some reason. I wonder why? _ ’

Kurama growled in Naruto’s head. ‘ **_Just do your shadow clone jutsu non-verbally and without seals, like we practiced. That will keep the man from saying that you have to use the basic clone to pass._ ** ’

Naruto nodded to himself and focused on his chakra before making three shadow clones like Kurama had told him. Iruka seeing the clones smile. “Congratulations Naruto, you graduate.”

Naruto nodded and gave Iruka a smile while he scratched the back of his head. “Thanks for believing in me Iruka-sensei and getting on me when I needed it. I know I didn’t always make it easy for you.”

Iruka laughed at that. “Well, I am proud of how far you have come, Naruto-kun,” Iruka said before handing Naruto a headband.

The blond grinned and tied it into place on his forehead. ‘ **_Despite him disliking you when he first started teaching you, he doesn’t deserve to die like some of the filth in this village... at least not right now._ ** ’

That was as close to a compliment towards another human as Naruto had ever heard from the demon. ‘ _ Careful Kurama or I might think you are warming up to another human besides me. _ ’

A scoff was the blond’s reply as he left the room with his headband on. ‘ **_I still think he is trash like the rest of the mortals in this village. I just have no reason to kill him._ ** ’

Naruto shook his head at that before getting back to the classroom. Soon enough the students who failed were dismissed as Iruka gave a speech about what it meant for the rest of the graduates to be a ninja of Konoha.

Naruto ignored it for the most part and soon they were dismissed. Once upon a time Naruto might have stayed at the academy and watched as the adults congratulated their kids, but he had no need to anymore. He was instead going to go get something to eat and celebrate with Kurama. ‘ _ What do you want to eat Kurama? _ ’

The demon hummed thoughtfully for a moment. ‘ **_We can eat ramen at Ichiraku’s. I know you want to tell Teuchi and Ayame that you passed the test._ ** ’

A smile came to Naruto’s face as he walked to the ramen stand. “Oi! Old man Ichiraku, can I get some ramen to celebrate becoming a ninja?”

Teuchi smiled at the blond. “I knew you could graduate Naruto-kun. Tonight the first five bowls are on the house.”

Naruto shared his senses completely with Kurama while he was eating, even going so far as to let the demon take over his body to eat some of the fox’s favorite dishes. As he was eating though Naruto often wished to have Kurama next to him like the couples he saw out on dates.

Kurama sighed at that. ‘ **_Soon saiai, but only because it would make you happy…_ ** ’ The demon muttered to himself, not letting the blond hear him. As Naruto finished eating though Kurama spoke up. ‘ **_The filth that was your instructor is approaching the ramen stand._ ** ’

Naruto turned on his stool to see Mizuki smiling at him. “Congratulations on graduating Naruto.” He said. “But can you come with me, there are some concerns about your scores.”

Naruto knew that that the man was lying, but followed him anyway. Mizuki led Naruto back to the academy and all the other teachers were gone. “I wanted to tell you about a special test that will allow you to be the Rookie of the Year. All you have to do is steal a scroll from the Hokage Tower.”

Naruto barely held in a scoff. “Really Mizuki-sensei?” ‘ _ Does he take me for a fool? Besides being the Rookie of the Year would have me placed on a team with Sakura. _ ’

The man nodded. “Yeah, the scroll will be labeled as the Forbidden Scroll of Seals, but it is a fake. Also if the Hokage sees you, he will try to stop you, this is a test after all.”

Naruto smiled. “I can get the scroll no problem, sensei!” Naruto cheered and Mizuki smiled and turned to leave.

“You also need to keep quiet about this. If you tell anyone then you will fail and have to spend another year at the academy.” With that Mizuki was gone.

‘ **_Please let me kill him. We can follow him right now and I will tear his heart out of his chest._ ** ’ Naruto heard the Kyuubi roaring out in his mind.

Naruto was tempted but shook his head. “I should go tell the Third Hokage about this.” He muttered to himself. His feelings on the Hokage were still mixed after his conversation the night before with Kurama. He wasn’t really sure he wanted to see the old man, but at the same time, he had seen the old man in such a positive light for so long.

Shaking his head the blond headed to the Hokage Tower. He got there, but the Hokage was in a meeting so he was told to wait. The secretary glared at him and Naruto closed his eyes to try and sort things out in his head by talking to Kurama. ‘ **_He has lied to you for years._ ** ’

Naruto sent the demon a mental nod. ‘ _ Most likely for the same reasons you put off telling me. I don’t like that he lied to me, but if his reasoning was the same as yours then I can’t be too mad about it. _ ’

Kurama didn’t agree. ‘ **_Lying about something and putting off telling you a painful truth, are two very different things. He most likely will never tell you the truth. Even if he does admit to the lies, then how do you justify him refusing to let the man and woman your parents trusted with your safety take care of you._ ** ’

Naruto frowned at that. ‘ _ I can’t justify that. He took care of me though. _ ’

A growl sounded from the demon. ‘ **_NO HE DID NOT! He put you in an orphanage where you were starved and then placed you in an apartment with no one to take care of you. You were left on your own to deal with the scorn of the village and he never even made sure you got enough food. You got kicked out of stores, stolen from, and chased from time to time and he did nothing! If that ramen serving man and his daughter hadn’t started feeding you, going so far as to invent new and healthy types of ramen to make sure you ate right, you would most likely be dead._ ** ’

Naruto looked down at that. He couldn’t really argue with that, he saw the Hokage once a week to get an allowance, but the Hokage never did anything about the fact that Naruto was kicked out of stores, nor did he do anything the times the blond’s money got stolen. Adding this to the fact that he didn’t let his godparents take him in, certainly painted the old man in a bad light. ‘ _ I should give him a chance. _ ’ Naruto thought.

Kurama growled a little deeper. ‘ **_He can’t explain himself if he doesn’t know you know the truth, and the only way to tell him you know is if you told him someone told you. I am sure he would punish whoever told you, so either someone innocent gets in trouble or you tell him I told you. The moment he knows we are talking he will have a seal-master lock me up tighter so we can no longer speak._ ** ’

Naruto kept looking at the ground. ‘ _ I can ask him about the things he is hiding from me. I know exactly how I can ask him too. _ ’

Soon enough, Naruto saw several ninjas leave the office, there was one with silver gravity-defying hair, one with a cigarette in his mouth, and a woman with red eyes that Naruto found himself staring at a little closer. ‘ **_I find your love of the color red humorous when you haven’t seen a picture of your mother before._ ** ’

Naruto didn’t get to ask what the demon meant though as he was called into the Hokage’s Office. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting at his desk and smiled at Naruto. “Good afternoon, Naruto-kun. I heard that you passed your exam quite easily.”

Naruto shifted his feet as he sat down. “That is what I want to talk to you about old man. Something weird was going on with my tests and I think it had something to do with Mizuki-sensei.”

The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow at that and set the paper that was in his hands down. “What do you mean, Naruto-kun?”

The blond sighed and looked down. “It was just… Well, during the written exam I was mistakenly given a harder test that Iruka said must have got mixed in, but I noticed when Mizuki handed me my test he handed me the test that was at the bottom of the stack instead of the top like he did with everyone else. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it if not for the fact that he also gave me dull shuriken and kunai and I was worried they wouldn’t stick in the target. He also seemed to move faster during my taijutsu exam then he did with the other students and started my timer before talking and starting my exam which he didn’t do with the other students.”

Naruto took in a breath. “Again, I wouldn’t think anything of it, but then when I graduated he approached me with a special test to steal a scroll labeled forbidden from your office and told me that if I told anyone I would fail the academy graduation even though I already got my headband.”

The Hokage’s eyes widened. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention Naruto-kun. Mizuki will be arrested tonight so you don’t have to worry.” With that, the old man made a few discrete signals and an ANBU dropped down from the ceiling, nodded, and then vanished.

Naruto sat there for a few seconds. “Old man, why did Mizuki try to fail me and why did he try to get me to steal something? Does this have anything to do with why the villagers dislike me?”

The Hokage shook his head. “I don’t know Naruto… I am sorry. Go get some rest though and be ready to take your ninja identification card photo tomorrow. Then you will have the rest of the week to relax before team placements.”

Naruto left the office with a frown. ‘ _ He is never going to tell me the truth is he? _ ’

He left the building before he heard his answer. ‘ **_I don’t think so, saiai. Let’s go train and get your mind off of it for now._ ** ’ Naruto smiled at that a little and rushed off to the training field he used. The Hokage might have betrayed his trust time and again, but he had Teuchi, Ayame, Iruka, and Kurama. He didn’t need the old man, and he would make more friends eventually.

A/N:

1: From what I can tell saiai means beloved. This is what Kurama will call Naruto in this story.

2: In this story, all of Kurama’s chakra and soul were sealed into Naruto instead of just the yang half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOO SORRY! Thought i uploaded this already, have been crazy busy with work.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto meets his team

Naruto opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by fiery orange fur with two arms wrapped around him. After shifting around a little bit he managed to get out of bed and looked towards Kurama. The demon was in the form of a twelve-year-old boy, as he kept his age synced with Naruto’s, however, from Kurama’s tailbone nine long tails spread out covering over half of the bed. Naruto shook his head as he watched the demon shift for a moment, feeling around, before opening his eyes. “ **Why do you insist on waking me up so early?** ”

Naruto stopped shaking his head and smiled. “Today is the day I have to go to the academy for team placements. I wonder who my teammates are going to be.”

The demon groaned and rolled over. “ **I already told you about the Rookie of the Year being placed with the top kunoichi and the dead last. If they follow that tradition then the shadow user who doesn’t ever try will be placed with the Uchiha and the pink-haired flea. So you will most likely be placed with either pale-eyes or the blonde mind-walker. As for your third teammate, it could be any of the other clan heirs.** ”

Due to Kurama being sealed into Mito and Kushina he understood how the ninja system and academy worked quite well. “Well, I would prefer Ino over Hinata. Hinata kind of gives me the creeps. I mean she knows I am lonely and instead of trying to be my friend she tries to stalk me. Ino might be a fangirl, but at least she focuses on Sasuke.”

The demon pulled Naruto back into the bed using his tails. “ **Well we won’t know until you get to the academy, but saiai are you sure you want to be a ninja of this village?** ” Naruto cocked his head to the side as Kurama pulled the blond into his lap. “ **If you resigned as a ninja they would have no excuse to hunt you down. We could leave, go to another village or to one of my dens.** ”

Naruto shook his head. “You know my answer to that Kurama.” He said before kissing the demon lightly on the lips. He pulled away a second later and smiled. “I should head to the academy.” The demon nodded and Naruto closed his eyes before opening them. When Naruto had reopened his eyes he was laying back on his bed in a pair of orange boxers.

Moving to his closest the boy slipped on a black pair of ANBU-style pants, a black long-sleeved undershirt with a red kanji that meant nine over his heart, and an orange short-sleeved shirt with a black Uzumaki spiral on the back which covered the undershirt so no one saw the kanji. The undershirt was made of a stretchy material that breathed rather well so that the blond didn’t have restrictions on his movement and didn’t overheat in the sun.

Walking towards his door the boy slipped on some ninja tabi-style boots. Naruto left his small apartment and headed towards the academy, slipping in the back and sitting alone. Soon enough everyone had gathered and Iruka stepped in alone. The man had a somber look on his face and leaned against his desk instead of sitting down. “Congratulations once more everyone. I am proud to announce that you are all ninja of Konoha as of today.”

He took a breath in and looked around before his eyes settled on Naruto. The blond couldn’t quite tell what Iruka was feeling though as the man started talking about the will of fire. ‘ ** _He is upset, most likely about Mizuki’s betrayal, and proud, most likely because you saw through the man’s trick._** ’

Iruka finished his speech a little later and looked everyone over. “I will leave and different jonin will be coming in to retrieve their teams. They will arrive and call out their team members.”

With that said, Iruka walked out the door and the red-eyed woman from the week before. “Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Choji Akamichi come with me.”

A few more teams were drawn out of the classroom when the man who had left the Hokage’s Office smoking came in. He had a cigarette in his mouth now as well and as he wasn’t in a crowd Naruto got a better look at him. The man had brown eyes, black spiky hair, and tanned skin. He was wearing standard Konoha jonin attire, with the addition of a sash around his waist. The sash was white and had the kanji for fire on it.

“Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, and Shino Aburame, the three of you are with me.” He said as he turned and walked out the door. Naruto stood and followed after him, with Shino and Ino coming as well. “I can’t believe I wasn’t placed on Sasuke-kun’s team.” Ino complained as the group of genin walked out the door.

Neither Shino nor Naruto replied to her though and instead just followed their instructor. The man led them to a BBQ place. The waitress there glared at Naruto but took them to a table. Naruto heard Kurama growl slightly at the waitress but had learned how to keep from showing any reaction to the demon over the past two years. The demon did want to say something though. ‘ ** _I sense no negative emotions from the jonin, well other than him being mad at the waitress._** ’

As the four of them sat down the jonin spoke. “Alright well my name is Asuma Sarutobi and I will be your jonin instructor. I would like for you to introduce yourselves a little. To give you an idea of what I am looking for, I will start us off. I already told you my name. I care about my friends and my family and I don’t like traitors. My hobby is relaxing with my friends and my dream for the future is to have a wife and kids someday. So ladies first.”

Naruto looked at Ino. The girl had platinum blonde hair which she kept in a ponytail and always seemed to wear a loose purple top and skirt. Ino looked at the meat being brought to the table. She was hungry but wanted to stick to her diet. “My name is Ino Yamanaka. I like flowers, pudding, and Sasuke-kun. I dislike Sakura and perverts. My hobbies are helping out at my parents’ flower shop and shopping, while my dream for the future is to marry Sasuke-kun and to make my dad proud.”

Asuma nodded his head expecting her answer based on her file. “Alright, Shino why don’t you go next?”

Shino had black hair and always wore a gray jacket with a high collar and sunglasses. Shino shifted in his seat as the meat was put on the grill. “My name is Shino Aburame. I like insects, dislike those who judge others without knowing them and those that harm bugs for no reason, and my hobby is hunting for new insects-”

Ino interrupted there. “Eww, bugs.”

Shino said nothing although a buzzing could be heard coming from him. ‘ ** _The boy is annoyed at that. He sees bugs as useful and considering the Seven-Tails is a beetle I agree. The Nanabi is the third strongest of us after all._** ’

Naruto heard what Kurama said to him and turned to Shino. “What about your dream Shino?”

Shino turned towards Naruto before flipping a few pieces of meat on the grill. “My dream is to make my clan proud and if I can, discover a new breed of insect.”

Naruto went ahead and started speaking next, knowing it was his turn. “My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like training, foxes, and ramen.” ‘ _And you Kurama,_ ’ “My hobbies are training and wandering the forests around Konoha. I also dislike people who judge others when they don’t know the person they’re judging and anyone who mistreats others just because they can.  My dream for the future… My dream is to become Hokage so I can make Konoha a haven for people who are treated unfairly simply because they exist.”

The conviction that the blond spoke with and the fire in his eyes as he spoke got him shocked looks from Ino, Shino, and Asuma. Although the jonin was looking at Naruto approvingly as well. “Well then let’s eat and then we can talk about what we are going to do.” They all ate together but stayed relatively quiet at first. Asuma was wanting to give the team a chance to bond so he stayed quiet, Shino was just a quiet person, Naruto was letting Kurama use his body to eat, and the demon had nothing to say to Naruto’s teammates.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Ino snapped. “Did you guys know that Mizuki-sensei got arrested last week?”

Shino nodded his head while Kurama simply continued eating. After eating a few more pieces of meat though, Kurama gave Naruto control of his body once more. Naruto opened his eyes, which the demon had kept closed while Kurama was in control eating, and frowned a little before speaking to Ino. “Yeah, Mizuki was exposed as a traitor. That is probably why Iruka-sensei seemed so down today.”

Ino was about to speak again when Naruto turned to Shino. “So, what type of insects do you look for when you go hunting?”

Shino pushed his glasses up and a different buzzing could be heard from the boy. “Anything that my family needs or that can be bred into our hives. What do you do in the forests?”

Naruto smiled at him. “Well, if I am training I run through the forest, zigzagging through the trees while trying to be aware of everything around me. If I am just wandering around then I will look for different animals and track them, sit next to a river and stay as quiet as I can to hear what is going on around me, or fish from time to time.”

Asuma hummed a little at that, “Sounds like your hobby besides training is training.”

Naruto laughed a little and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess so. I just find it a little more peaceful I guess.”

Asuma smiled and nodded. “Well, now that we are done with our lunch we can see if you three are actually ready to be genin.”

Ino was the first to speak up against that. “What do you mean, Asuma-sensei? We just graduated from the academy so aren’t we already genin?”

Asuma shook his head no. “You can consider the academy exam more of a qualifier for the real exam. If you can’t pass it you don’t even get to take the real exam, but if you do pass it then you are actually genin material.”

Shino spoke next while adjusting his sunglasses again, “So what happens during this real exam?”

Asuma looked the three over. “Well, that is up to your jonin instructor. We get to decide what type of test to give our students and we can change it based on our team setup. For example, if a genin team is set-up for tracking then their test would reflect that. There are also tests that revolve around teamwork or individual skills.”

Naruto looked at his teammates. “I am not really sure what our team was set-up to do.”

Kurama answered him before Asuma. ‘ ** _It isn’t obvious. An insect-user to drain your chakra, and a mind-walker to manipulate your memories. Your team is set up to control you._** ’

Naruto didn’t get a long time to think on that when Asuma spoke up. “Well, the three teams with the most promise in your year are Team Seven consisting of Shikamaru, Sakura, and Sasuke, Team Eight consisting of Hinata, Kiba, and Choji, and us. Team Seven is set up as an assault squad, and Team Eight is set up as a tracking and capture squad. As for us, we are an infiltration and assault squad.”

Naruto nodded in understanding while shrugging off what Kurama had said for the moment. “Shino to track a target back to their base, Ino to infiltrate the hideout, and if push comes to shove, me to destroy everything. So, our test is supposed to reflect that?”

Asuma shook his head no. “Not really… As I said your test is designed by your jonin instructor. What I planned on us doing is going to the training field and each of you sparring with me. I already know a little bit about your mindsets, so now I want to assess your physical skills. That way I know whether you are ready to be genin and if you are, then I can help train you for your positions in the team.”

With that said the group headed towards the training field their team was assigned for the foreseeable future. Training Ground Eighteen was a small wooded training ground with a clearing and a small lake in the center. Shino and Naruto ended up sitting at the lake while Ino sparred with Asuma first.

The girl spent a little time trying to hit him with Asuma countering her every move before switching to her family’s techniques. It was useless though and Asuma dodged her mind possession jutsu, causing her to collapse. Asuma then placed her next to the boys and told Shino he was next.

Shino didn’t land a hit on the man either, as he was unable to keep up. However, the boy did plant several of his bugs on Asuma to drain the man’s chakra a few times. The bugs were instantly brushed off though. After several minutes Asuma ended the spar and told Naruto to try his hand while Ino woke up.

Naruto got up and faced off with Asuma. Kurama said nothing, as he sensed no negative emotions from Asuma and knew the blond would want to handle the spar himself. “Alright prepare yourself, Asuma-sensei.” The blond said as he stretched a little to loosen his muscles.

In the next instant, Naruto was dashing towards Asuma. As he got to the jonin a clone appeared in front of him kneeling down, and Naruto stepped on the clone’s back before jumping into the air. The clone the blond had stepped on raised up and attacked Asuma with a spinning roundhouse kick. Asuma blocked the kick by grabbing the clone’s leg and throwing the clone up to meet the real Naruto in the air.

The real Naruto had intended to land behind Asuma and attack the him while his clone kept the man’s focus, but instead had to plant his feet into his clone and jump away while dispelling the thrown clone. Naruto landed on the ground a little ways away and looked towards Asuma who was looking shocked. “I think that will be enough. Where did you learn a B-rank forbidden technique?”

Naruto relaxed a little as the match was called, but not completely. “I found a scroll for it the same time I found this cave with snake markings. The Third knows about the cave, but I didn’t tell him about the scroll. I just thought it was a different clone technique. I didn’t even learn it until about two years ago when I realized I was overloading the normal clone jutsu because I used too much chakra.”

The story was crafted by the Kyuubi, who said that Naruto not mentioning the scroll to the Hokage could be explained away by his excitement over finding his treasure. As for how Naruto learned he was using too much chakra that could be explained by the fact that Naruto knew he used to put too much chakra into his transformations after he finally got it right in the academy.

Asuma shook his head. “You should have brought the scroll to our attention before learning the jutsu from it. That jutsu uses a lot of chakra and can be dangerous due to issues with mental feedback. The clones will transfer what you learn back to you, but if they send back too much information, it can hurt you. Still, learning it two years ago is very impressive. Using it non-verbally and without hand-seals is even more so.”

Naruto scratched the back of his head casually once more as he relaxed. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was dangerous, it just seemed like a cool clone jutsu.”

Asuma waved the boy off. “Don’t worry too much about it, it will actually help you work as part of this team. Your clones can be used to gather information on a target location safely before we infiltrate it or take it out. Now then, I want you all three to be back here tomorrow morning at eight in the morning. Other than that you are dismissed for the day.”

Naruto nodded and turned to his teammates. “I will see you both tomorrow.” He said before getting ready to head home for the night.

Shino nodded to him while Ino waved. “All right Naruto, see you tomorrow.”

The blond waved back to her as he turned to walk away. He exited the training ground and headed back to his apartment. He wanted to make it home in time to relax a little before Kurama sent him out to train for the night. The demon had been having Naruto go out once a week and train at night, and then face the next morning with no sleep. That would make him a little more prepared for that situation during his missions. The demon had said a ninja didn’t always get to rest after all.

Naruto got home and made two shadow clones. One transformed into a dark-skinned boy with black hair and green eyes that went to buy a few things from the market while the other transformed into a young girl with red hair and red eyes that took some real money to go get a single bowl of ramen from Ichiraku’s.

Naruto thought that creating shadow clones and having them pay with cloned money that would disappear was the best prank he ever played on the shopkeepers that hated him, but didn’t think on that too much as Kurama spoke inside his head.

‘ ** _So ramen for you tonight and you are having your clone get stuff to make spicy salmon rice-balls for me._** ’ Kurama said from within Naruto’s head.

‘ _Yeah, I can seal them in a scroll for the five minute break you let me have at midnight._ ’ Naruto explained before kicking his feet up. At the moment he would relax until his clones got back, and the food was made and sealed away.

Before Naruto could get too comfortable, he was pulled into his mindscape where he was looking at Kurama’s human form. “ **I want to show you something.** ”

Naruto approached the demon who was sitting on a black leather couch that was within the seal. Sitting down next to him Naruto looked over at him. “What do you want to show me?”

Kurama shook his head. “ **I will explain that a little later, but you need to understand something first. I need something from you in order to show you. Because of this, tonight we will not actually be training. Instead tonight you will have a mission.** ”

Naruto looked the demon directly in the eyes. “What type of mission?”

The demon’s tails wrapped around Naruto to drag the blond closer. When the blond was practically sitting in Kurama’s lap the demon kissed him lightly on the lips before pulling away and speaking. “ **You will be retrieving a few things from a ruined building that only you will be able to enter.** ”

Naruto had let Kurama drag him closer and kiss him, but was confused by what the demon said. “What ruined building, and what will I be retrieving?”

Kurama didn’t answer though, instead, he hummed a little before his tails lightly started stroking the blond’s back. Naruto allowed the tails to lightly brush across his back and found himself distracted. When the demon stopped he leaned back and pulled the boy with him. After a few moments, they ended up laying together on the couch, with Kurama cuddling Naruto. “ **I want you to go to the ruins of the Yondaime’s house. Soon enough, the seals that still keep it protected will fade and the place will be cleared out by one of the insolent old ape’s ANBU. I want you to go get the few things that might have survived my attack.** ”

Naruto frowned at the mention of the Sandaime. “Do you really think he would go there and clear it out of anything that could be valuable to me?”

A snarl came from the demon. “ **The bastard is probably giddy at the thought of getting any scrolls or items that survived. I figure all the scrolls were destroyed though. I am hoping for something different. Something specific that might have survived.** ” Naruto didn’t say anything else. He was still upset that the Sandaime had lied to him for so long and even went so far as to deny his godparents the right to adopt him. The boy’s sad mood didn’t go unnoticed as Kurama wrapped his tails around the boy.

Soon enough Naruto had gotten ready to leave his house after his clones had come back and the rice-balls had been made. He left his home and went towards a forested area on the outskirts of Konoha. The forest was still recovering from the Kyuubi’s attack. Several new trees were finally growing all over the place, and in a small clearing, a rusted fence surrounded a small amount of rubble.

Naruto walked to a nearby gate and touched it, feeling his chakra leave his body against his will as the seals on the gate checked his signature to make sure he was either an Uzumaki or a Namikaze. After several seconds the seals deactivated and Naruto was able to walk into the fenced-in yard. The yard itself was covered in weeds, but the house was easy to get too. Naruto found himself digging through the rubble, seeing where several fires blackened parts of the stone foundation.

Kurama sighed as he sensed the sorrow from the blond. ‘ ** _This was the first conscious action I took the night of my attack. The moment the contract seal was broken I sent a chakra enhanced tail to strike down on this house. The scrolls and books inside were likely set ablaze from my chakra which caused the remainder of the house to burn down._** ’

Naruto sent a mental nod to the Kyuubi. He knew the demon wasn’t trying to rub the situation in, but rather wanted to explain his actions. ‘ _After being chained to a ball of molten rock for so long you wanted a little revenge. I understand that and I don’t blame you for what happened. None of it would have happened if the Shodaime had let you go, Mito had freed you, or if that masked man had never shown up. We can’t change that now though._ ’

Kurama went silent for the time being, still somewhat amazed at how his blond could forgive his past actions so easily. Soon enough though the human found the few things that had managed to survive. The first item he found was a few scraps of orange-painted wood that Kurama told him to pick up, then he found some broken kunai and shuriken that he left alone, next he found an incredibly dirty and beat up stuffed animal that he sealed away to clean off, fix up, and look at later, after that he found some burnt up springs that he ignored, and finally he found what Kurama was hoping for.

Picking up the blood red metal fragments Naruto sat them next to the orange wood. ‘ _What are these from?_ ’

Kurama nodded to himself inside the seal, not that the blond knew that, before speaking. ‘ ** _The wood isn’t that important, but I can use it. It most likely came from the door to your nursery as I vaguely remember your parents had painted part of the door orange. The metal fragments are what we were after. They came from your mother’s sword. I want you to give the wood fragments and the metal fragments to me and I will make you a new sword using them._** ’

Naruto planned on agreeing but had to ask. ‘ _What does this have to do with what you wanted to show me earlier?_ ’

A soft chuckle came from the demon who sounded pleased with the question. ‘ ** _When I made you your armor, our deal allowed me to break part of the seal. This allowed me more control of your body, and access to your senses. I wouldn’t do it unless you were in trouble, but truthfully I can simply take over your body if I wished. This time our deal will allow me to break more of the seal. I plan on breaking some mental blocks and chakra restrictions which should allow me control over your mindscape and the ability to come outside the seal. Leaving the seal will leave me at about half strength, but even at half strength I could go toe to toe with the eight-tails and defeat the other seven Bijuu on my own._** ’

Naruto felt his eyes go wide at that and instantly picked up the metal shards and wooden fragments before nodding his head. “I agree to your deal.” He said before once more his form was overtaken in an orange light as orange chakra raced into the metal and wood which dissolved. This time there was no cloud of dust and Naruto watched as the chakra dissolved the wood and metal before taking shape in his hands. He watched the orange chakra take the shape of a sword before slowly the chakra turned solid.

When the process was done Naruto had a sword in his hand. The sword had a silver hilt that had an orange gem in the pommel and the guard of the sword was shaped like fox head that had an open maw with the eyes of the fox-shaped guard being blood red. The blade was covered with an orange sheath made from wood, and when Naruto unsheathed the blade he saw that it was blood red with orange energy seemingly running down it. ‘ ** _The sword itself will always have some of my energy running through it. Any living thing besides a Bijuu or container cut with the blade will die from exposure to my toxic chakra. That is unless you draw the chakra out. There is also a seal on it that will make it dull for when you spar._**

**_The stone is a solid mass of my chakra and will act as a chakra battery. You can store chakra inside of it and draw on that chakra in a pinch. I have never made a chakra battery before though and am unsure how much chakra it will hold. The sheath is also resistant to demonic chakra like your armor so if you are fighting a Bijuu or a container you could keep the sheath in one hand and block attacks with it while wielding your sword in the other. Do you like it?_** ’

The blond instantly nodded before focusing, and just like his armor he felt his sword being drawn into the seal. ‘ _I can’t wait to learn to use it. When can you teach me how to use a sword?_ ’

Seconds later Naruto received his answer when an explosion of smoke appeared in front of the blond making him take a step back until he saw Kurama in his human form, minus the tails in front of him. The demon was smirking before cupping the blond’s cheek. “Right after we eat, saiai.”

Naruto blushed deeper than he ever had. Over the past two years he had gotten used to Kurama’s affection, but knowing the demon was out in the real world with him changed everything. Kurama laughed lightly as he saw how red Naruto’s face was. The blond shook his head before he noticed something. “Your voice is different…”

The demon nodded his head. “The first time you heard me speak it was in my demon form. You might not have realized it, but even when I was in my human form, you were changing my voice to my demon form’s voice. I couldn’t stop you from doing it because I didn’t have enough control of your mindscape. Now though, you can hear what my human voice sounds like.”

Naruto certainly knew what the demon’s human voice sounded like now. Kurama’s demon voice sounded incredibly powerful. Naruto imagined that if Kurama truly yelled in his demon form, the very world around him would yield to his demands. His human voice, on the other hand, sounded dark and rich. Each word to Naruto was incredibly soothing. Naruto knew that he would never tire of hearing either of Kurama’s voices. Shaking his head free of those thoughts, Naruto unsealed their food and ended up eating while sitting against a tree curled up with Kurama.

(Beak)

The next day, when Naruto got to his team’s training ground, Kurama was with him. The demon was currently in the form of an average sized orange fox, with red eyes and only a single tail. He took this appearance so that he could follow Naruto around and be there to help him. This also gave him a great deal more freedom than he has had in the past fifty years

Being a fox though, would get him more than a few glares, but Kurama didn’t care and Naruto had to talk him out of walking around as a nine-tailed fox the size of a horse. Kurama was currently laying in Naruto’s arms simply enjoying the actual physical contact between them.

Ino was the second person to arrive and let out a girly squeal. “Oh, my gosh Naruto! He is so cute!” She called out as she raced over and moved her hand out to pet Kurama. Asuma and Shino showed up in time to see Naruto take a step away from Ino when the fox growled at her harshly.

Naruto raised a hand up to tell her to stop before whispering to Kurama, “ _Please calm down a little. I will tell her to leave you alone, I know you don’t want them touching you but, they are my teammates, so please don’t attack them._ ” He whispered low enough that only Kurama could hear him before turning to Ino. “Sorry Ino, but Kurama doesn’t like to be touched. He doesn’t really like humans all that much.”

Asuma was the one who spoke up next. “Where did you find Kurama?” He asked and the blond could tell he was a little nervous.

Kurama spoke to the blond using the seal to communicate telepathically and Naruto repeated what the demon said back to Asuma. “I met him in one of the forests a while back and he has been my companion ever since. We just sort of clicked you know. The villagers that have seen him, they glare at him and throw things at him so he doesn’t really like humans. I can kind of understand how that feels you know.”

Asuma nodded hesitantly and he looked a little upset for a moment before he took a breath and steadied his emotions.. “All right, well, we should move on and go over what we are going to be doing for the next few months. Now, I will create two shadow clones and split the three of you up for today. Every Monday, we will work separately. Tuesdays, the three of you will train together, and Wednesdays, Ino and Shino will work with their clans. Thursdays, we will be taking a few missions and then Fridays, we will work either together or separately depending on what you need help with. Saturdays, Ino and Shino will be spending time with their clans again and Sundays will be a free day. Naruto on the days Ino and Shino are with their clans I can help you train.”

Naruto nodded his head for a moment before Kurama spoke to him. ‘ ** _Tell him you will train with him on Wednesdays, but Saturdays you want to train alone. I can work with you when your team training is done and Saturdays we will train all day together._** ’

Naruto sent the fox in his arms a mental nod. “I will train with you on Wednesdays, but on Saturdays, I would like to work on my own.”

Asuma nodded and made a cross-shaped seal with his hands. “ **Shadow Clone Jutsu!** ” He said before two clones appeared beside him. One clone took Ino, and one took Shino, while the real Asuma motioned for Naruto to sit down. “Well, before we begin, sit down so we can talk.”

Naruto was confused but when Kurama sent him a mental nod, letting him know that Asuma had no negative emotions, the blond sat down cross-legged. Kurama curled up in his lap instead of being held in his arms and Naruto looked towards Asuma. “What is it we need to talk about, Asuma-sensei?”

The man tapped his fingers on his arm a few times before taking out and lighting a cigarette. “It took me several hours of arguing with the Hokage, but I got permission to tell you something about yourself. I know you have asked my dad several times why everyone treats you differently, and he always told you he didn’t know. He still maintains that you shouldn’t be told about this unless you find out on your own, but he gave in when I told him I would tell you anyway.”

Naruto was wide-eyed at that. He, of course, knew what Asuma was about to tell him, but the man just admitted that not only was the Sandaime planning on intentionally keeping him in the dark for as long as possible, but that he disagreed with the Hokage about it. “If I had been in charge of the information you would be the only one who knew except for some of the ninja who understood what happened, but I suppose it can’t be helped. There is actually a law that states that no one can discuss this without the Hokage’s permission, but when you were born, the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into you.”

Naruto looked towards Kurama and clenched his fist. He played his part and acted shocked. Considering he was shocked that Asuma was actually telling him, it wasn’t too hard. “Why?”

Asuma shrugged his shoulder. “I don’t actually know why. I have my suspicions but that is all they are, so I shouldn’t say. If I had proof then I would tell you but… Anyway, I know you must be upset, but know that the Yondaime wanted you seen as a hero. He was arguably the most talented seal master Konoha has ever had so you should know that the seal is safe. You and the demon are completely different people, and the people who see you as the Kyuubi are just ignorant or scared. The Hokage told me that the seal was designed to let you access the demon’s power safely to help protect Konoha. However, I think that should be a last resort.”

Asuma let the information sink in before smiling and changing the subject. “So, your goal will be to scout out and destroy a target. We will start by training you stealth skills so what I want you to do is to learn as much as you can about Ino and Shino’s training without being seen. My clones will tell them know to keep an eye out for you though and if they spot you, then you will have to run around Konoha when we are done training. One lap around the village walls for each time your teammates see you.”

Naruto nodded and gave his famous prankster grin that he hadn’t really used in a few years. Then he looked at the fox in his lap. “You ready to go Kurama?”

When the fox nodded, Asuma spoke up. “Naruto be careful around that fox… Really any foxes. I know that a normal fox shouldn’t be a problem, but we don’t know if the Kyuubi can control other foxes or if they will listen to the demon if it tells them to do something from within the seal. I would hate for your companion to attack you while you are sleeping.”

Naruto smiled sadly before waving the man off. “If Kurama was going to hurt me he would have done it by now but thanks for the concern, Asuma-sensei.”


	5. First C-rank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto starts to bond with his team and they go on their first c-rank mission

 

Naruto leaned into a tree as he listened to Ino sparring against Asuma’s shadow clone. It had been a couple of weeks since he had gone to the ruins of his parents’ house and Kurama still hadn’t shown the blond whatever it was that the demon wanted to show him.Though he had told Naruto he was close to being ready. 

During the past two weeks Naruto had to run fifteen laps around Konoha, while Shino had to run ten and Ino ran twenty. Asuma had neglected to tell the other two that if they failed to notice Naruto, they would be the ones who had to run a lap. Shino’s insects gave him an edge on the game, which is why he had run the fewest amount of laps. 

On the days the three had trained together they worked on getting used to fighting at the same time and how to work around each other’s specialities. Shino, for example, would wait to send his bugs in if Naruto could create an opening, and Ino had to be mindful of Shino’s bugs when she used her family’s jutsu. Ino had  _ not _ liked being an insect when she accidentally transferred into one of Shino’s creatures.

They also worked on various skills like their chakra control, with Asuma having them all work on the tree climbing exercise. On Wednesday, Naruto trained one-on-one with Asuma. At the moment they only worked on was taijutsu and Asuma gave Naruto some tips concerning his chakra control. The man stated that, with the proper control, Naruto could eventually start firing off high-level jutsu left and right.

On Thursday’s, the genin had taken D-rank missions and Naruto had to sit down for a few minutes during their first mission to silently beg Kurama not to kill their client. The woman had the group painting her fence and intentionally went out of her way to make the blond miserable. She insulted him, gave him more work than his teammates, threw things at him, and then refused to pay him, even though the area he had painted looked better than his teammates’ areas and Naruto had to stop Asuma from forcing her to.

Ino had actually come close to snapping at the woman and the moment they were out of earshot, Ino started ranting about how the old lady was a complete and total bitch. Shino didn’t say anything, but the irritated buzzing coming from the insect user let Naruto know that he agreed with Ino. Naruto told them not to worry about the woman and that he was used to it, which made them both start asking questions that Naruto had been able to avoid up until now.

Their first Friday had them working on their chakra control, by finishing the tree climbing exercise and on Saturday and Sunday, Naruto trained with Kurama. Their second week was similar. Naruto  let out a yawn as he free himself from thoughts of the past two week and headed towards where Shino was training. 

It was once again friday but this time the trio were training separately. The blond knew that the bug-using ninja had placed bugs around the area, but he came prepared today and brought out a pair of binoculars that he used to spy on Shino from a distance. When his job was done he headed to where the Asuma clone was waiting for him to report.

By the end of the day, Shino and Ino both had to run five laps and Naruto was grinning triumphantly. The only female in their group playfully punched Naruto on the arm as she took off to do her laps while Shino stared at Naruto until he pulled out his binoculars from his pocket once more. Shino simply nodded at the other teen before taking off as well.

Naruto collapsed onto his back to relax for a moment when he heard Kurama speaking to him from inside his head. ‘ **_Hurry home, saiai, I am ready to show you what I have been working on these past weeks._ ** ’

Naruto sent the demon a mental nod and stood up. “Hey, Asuma-sensei, I am going to go on home. I still have to take a trip to the market.” The man nodded and waved the blond off while waiting for Ino and Shino to get done with their run. Naruto instantly took off, once again making a shadow clone to go to the market under the transformation technique.

The Uzumaki got to his apartment and moved to the couch to sit down. Seconds later he was in his mindscape and looking around. “Wh-what is this?”

A vastly different landscape was before the blond now. Instead of the sewer he had grown accustomed to, there was a large forest surrounding the clearing he found himself in, and within the clearing, there was a house. The house though, was one the blond vaguely recognized after having dug through it remains.

Kurama stood on the other side of a chain-linked fence that separated the clearing and the house from the forest. “My memories of this place are a little fuzzy, as I mainly caught glimpses whilst I was sealed in your mother. It took me a couple of weeks to sort through everything, but it is as close to the real thing as I can manage. I… added some pictures of your parents based on images from her memories as well. If you go in, you will be able to see what your parents looked like.”

Naruto looked over at the demon and moved to the fence. “This is incredible. Are you going to come inside with me?”

The demon shook his head. “I have no desire to go into that house again. I have given it more thought over the past two weeks then I would have liked, as it holds nothing for me more than memories of being treated like a mindless beast. I quite enjoyed destroying it actually.”

Naruto looked down but nodded in understanding. “I guess you wouldn’t really have any good memories of the times you saw, even just the glimpses of this house.” Naruto moved a little closer and kissed the demon lightly on the cheek. “Thank you for this, Kurama.”

The demon smiled softly. “I will be outside in the real world when you are done exploring.”

Naruto smiled a little sadly as the demon disappeared. Turning he walked through the yard, looking over the garden in the front yard with the different types of flowers. He walked up to the doorway and opened it. Walking inside, his breath caught in his throat when he saw the painting in the living room. A painting of his parents, with his father’s hand resting on his mother’s swollen belly.

Naruto let out a shaky breath as he examined the few pictures in the room before moving on. He slowly explored the house room by room, until he came to a door painted orange, with his name spelled out in blue letters. Naruto was surprised that his nursery was included but Kurama had spent two weeks looking through his own memories to build this place for Naruto, so really, he shouldn’t have been.

Opening the door, Naruto felt tears building in his eyes as he looked around the room. The walls of the room were blue with several orange spirals covering them. In the corner was a rocking chair with a small stand placed near it, already covered in many toys and a pacifier. There was a small carved, wooden chest with few handmade baby blankets sitting on top of it and a crib in the center of the room. The crib was made up and Naruto’s name was stitched into the bedding, the small stuffed toad the human had found in the ruins, sitting in the corner.

After spending a few more minutes standing in that room, Naruto left the house. He took a deep breath and focusing as hard as he could he watched as the house vanished. He could relive his memory of exploring the house any time he wanted now. He would have kept it, but he knew Kurama didn’t like the house. After spending some time looking around the forest, Naruto found himself in the real world. Clasped tightly in the demon’s lap being held while that very demon was growling lightly.

“Is everything alright?” Naruto asked as he shifted slightly in the demon’s grip.

Kurama looked at the blond for a moment before nodding. “There is nothing you need to worry about, saiai. Just trying not to go kill the cretins in this building.”

Naruto was about to ask what happened when his shadow clone came in and sat food down in front of them before it dispelled. The clone had made Kurama some curry and Naruto some steamed rice and grilled vegetables. As the blond processed the clone’s memories, he learned what had made Kurama angry. It seemed that when the clone had made it to the apartment, he was almost knocked down by one of the tenants who had then cursed the blond out for not being careful and accused him of stealing from the market.

The man had been about to strike the clone, when Kurama grabbed the man’s fist and broke several of the bones in the man’s hand. Kurama then threatened the man with death before Naruto’s clone placed a hand on Kurama’s hand, convincing the demon to let the man go. The demon had ignored the clone for a moment and had only squeezed the man’s hand harder, causing the man to drop to his knees in pain. Kurama at this stage finally let the man go and followed the clone inside. Kurama curled up with the real Naruto after that while the clone had went to make them food.

The blond took a breath in and turned towards Kurama. “Thank you for going easy on him.”

The demon scoffed at that. “I would have killed him if the council would not have tried to blame it on you. Now, let’s eat and go to bed.” Naruto smiled and did just that. Several hours later though, the demon slipped out of bed and headed into one of the lower apartments.

As he walked the darkened hallways, he aged into an adult. Getting to a certain apartment, Kurama twisted the doorknob and grinned when it opened under his hand. He walked into the apartment and the man from earlier was sitting on his couch with his hand wrapped up in ice.

Seeing the demon the man stood up. He was angry, but after a few seconds, he recognized Kurama or rather,  _ thought _ he knew who the man in front of him was. “What are you doing here!? You must be the father of that bastard that was hanging with the demon brat!”

Before anything else could be said, Kurama was in front of the man, his fist planted into the man’s throat. With a loud, choking cough, blood and spit flew from the man’s mouth as he dropped to his knees. Kurama then grabbed the man by the head as the man continued coughing. Trying in vain to say something.

Kurama let a feral grin come to his lips. “You shouldn’t have tried to harm what was mine.” With that, fuinjutsu symbols started crawling across the man’s body and the demon watched as they covered the man from head to toe. The human let out a soundless scream as his body suddenly burst into malicious black flames. The hateful man turning to ash under Kurama’s ceaseless gaze. 

“No one touches what is mine.” He growled before sweeping up the ash and sealing it away onto a piece of paper that he crumbled up before throwing away in a rubbish bin. He then moved about, packing up all the now dead tenant’s belongings and sealed them away as well.

With that the demon left, locking the door with a nearby set of keys before crushing the keys to dust in his hands. Anyone who came here would think the man left and that is how Kurama wanted it. A few minutes later, the demon was crawling back into bed with the blond in his twelve-year-old form once more. Now that he had the ability to come outside of the seal, he would be able to deal with some of the humans that continuously caused problems for his blond.

(Break)

A few days later Ino, Naruto, Shino, and Asuma were standing in front of the Hokage. “What do you have for us, Pops?” Asuma asked, as they were there for a mission.

The old man pulled out a scroll and held it up. “You told me, you believed your team was ready for a simple C-rank mission. I have one here for you, an escort mission. You will be escorting a merchant to the border of the Land of Frost and the Land of Hotsprings. There you will meet a team from Kumo, who will finish escorting the merchant to their village.”

‘ **_A village known for its attempts at kidnapping people with bloodlines, and your Hokage is sending three clan heirs fresh out of the academy. The old fool._ ** ’ Hearing Kurama’s voice in his head, the blond patted the head of the fox in his arms.

He noticed the slight wince on the old man’s face as he patted Kurama’s head. ‘ _ So do you think this is some type of set-up? _ ’

The demon in his fox form yawned in the blond’s arms before closing his eyes. ‘ **_Well, considering Kumo has tried to kidnap an Uzumaki before, your mother to be exact, and you are the only heir of the Uzumaki Clan… It could be._ ** ’

Naruto didn’t have time to answer when the Hokage spoke up. “Where did you get the fox Naruto-kun?”

The blond closed his eyes for a few seconds before speaking in a stiff voice, “I found him one of the nights when I slept in the forests around Konoha, Hokage-sama. Is that a problem?”

The Hokage’s eyes went wide at the tone the blond used, “No it isn’t a problem, it is just surprising. Foxes aren’t really well liked in Konoha.”

Naruto shook his head. “I’m not really well liked in Konoha either so I guess that is something Kurama and I have in common.” Another wince from the Hokage before he dismissed the genin.

With the genin out of the room, the Hokage turned to Asuma. “I thought you said he took the news rather well. He seems a little distant.”

Asuma was looking towards the door where Naruto had walked out. “He did, actually I was really surprised by how well he took the news. This is the first inclination that he has had any issues with learning the truth. I will talk to him during the mission.” The Hokage nodded his head and dismissed Asuma as well.

While the three genin were outside, Ino turned to Naruto. “What did you mean about not being well-liked, Naruto? Does this have anything to do with why our clients have been so rude to you?”

The blond nodded his head. “Look, can we talk about this after we leave the village? I suppose since we are teammates, you guys deserve to know.”

Ino and Shino both nodded, while Kurama spoke up again. ‘ **_And if they have any problems with it, I can kill them. Being outside the village, it will be easy to dispose of them._ ** ’

Naruto looked down at the fox in his arms. ‘ _ You can’t kill my teammates, Kurama. I can always request to be transferred to a new team or request an apprenticeship and only join the team for important events. _ ’

The fox scoffed a little through the mind-link. ‘ **_I make no promises. I told you before that I will kill anyone who tries to harm you._ ** ’

Naruto let himself smile. He still didn’t want the demon to kill people for him, but what the demon said always made him feel cared for. “I guess we can wait, Naruto,” Ino said, breaking the blond out of his thoughts and Shino nodded his silent agreement.

Naruto looked at them both. “Thanks for understanding guys.”

Just then, Asuma exited the Hokage’s Office. “Alright, we need to meet our client at the gates at dawn tomorrow. I expect you all to go home and pack tonight and then be at the gates bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at least ten minutes before then.” The three genin nodded and Kurama glared at Asuma because he knew that he would also have to get up early tomorrow. “Ino, Shino the two of you are dismissed. Your families will probably want to celebrate the fact that you got your first C-rank mission before any of your classmates. Naruto, do you want to get some ramen with me to celebrate?”

The blond nodded his head, excited by the prospect of ramen, while Kurama let out a huff of annoyance and glared at the jonin even harder. Asuma noticed it and raised an eyebrow, but let it slide for now. He would ask Naruto about it once they were out of the village. As the two humans and demon were walking to the Ichiraku’s Ramen Stand, Asuma looked Kurama over. “Are you planning on bringing Kurama with you on the mission, Naruto? It could be dangerous and he could get hurt.”

The blond couldn’t figure out what Asuma was really asking here because his tone made Naruto believe that someone weird was going on. ‘ **_He is getting suspicious. I haven’t exactly been acting like a normal fox. Acting like a mindless beast is something I have no interest in, not that anyone in this village would be able to do anything if they knew the truth._ ** ’ He said smugly.

Naruto looked down at Kurama after Asuma said that. “I was planning on taking him. The mission isn’t supposed to be that dangerous after all.” ‘ _ What do you suggest we tell him then? _ ’

Asuma frowned at the answer. “I suppose most animals do alright when traveling at a civilian pace, but not all animals can handle traveling at a ninja’s pace. Though we are going to be traveling at a decent speed on our way back.”

‘ **_As if that would worry me. I could outrun everyone in this village with all four of my paws tied together._ ** ’ The demon said in a cocky tone before sighing. ‘ **_Another thing that will make him suspicious. We will talk about what to tell him tonight._ ** ’

Naruto shrugged a little. “I know Kurama will be fine, Asuma-sensei. Maybe we can talk about this when I talk to Ino and Shino about my condition.” The blond offered and Asuma nodded hesitantly. He could only hope the fox wouldn’t hurt the young man.

The next day found the three genin and Asuma standing at the gates. Ino had a large pack that Naruto guessed was filled with things she didn’t actually need, and Shino had a small pack. The blond himself had no pack, his camping supplies and travel supplies were sealed in a scroll that was tucked inside his weapons pouch, which was itself, closed by a seal and not with a clasp.

Asuma also didn’t carry a pack, but the blond could easily assume there were scrolls on the jonin. Asuma looked his team over with a sigh. “Ino, you have far too much packed in that bag. Empty it on the ground and we will only repack what you need. I can seal everything else until we get back. Shino, you seem good, but Naruto, why don’t you have any supplies?”

The blond’s answer was to focus a little chakra into his ninja pouch to open it and drew out two scrolls. “I am all set, Asuma-sensei. I have my tent, some clothes for really any type of weather, rations and water, as well as back-up rations and water, extra kunai, and extra shuriken in my scrolls.”

Asuma took a second to get over his shock at a genin being that well prepared for their first mission and nodded before giving the blond a smile. “I see, very good, Naruto.”

It didn’t take Asuma long to sort through Ino’s belongings after that, with most of the belongings going in a scroll that he put in his pocket. Ino complained about getting her make-up taken away, but Asuma ignored her as the client showed up.

“It is nice to see you again, Asuma-san.” A female said from behind Naruto. The blond turned to face her and saw her frown at seeing him. She had light blue hair that was long enough to reach the middle of her back, chocolate brown eyes, and a soft face. Naruto also noticed her fingernails were painted blue. “I wish it was just us, Asuma-san. Is it really necessary to have children do these ninja missions?”

That was when the blond realized the woman wasn’t frowning because of  _ who _ he was, but rather over the fact that he was a child in her eyes. Something that had him biting back a laugh. “They might be young, but they are rather capable, Mira. The blond boy is Naruto Uzumaki, then there is Shino Aburame, and Ino Yamanaka.”

The woman sent a nod to the three students before Kurama made himself known by jumping into the blond’s arms. He had been watching Naruto’s new neighbor back at his apartment first thing this morning and so he was running a little late. Not that the blond had known  that was what he was doing. When Kurama showed up Mira raised a brow. “Are you bringing that beast with us?” She asked, only to get growled at.

To his team’s surprise, however, Naruto didn’t make any attempt to placate Kurama like he did the few times someone tried to touch him. Instead, Naruto spoke in a low and dangerous voice. “Do not call Kurama a beast. If you do then we will have a problem, ma’am.”

The tone sent shivers through Ino, Shino, and Mira. Asuma was shocked to notice the small amount of killing intent leaking from the blond. ‘ _ One more reason to talk to him about that fox. _ ’

As he knew where they were taking Mira, Naruto simply walked out the gates and headed towards the Land of Frost, ignoring the woman as best he could from then on.

(Break)

The third night into the, as of yet, uneventful mission, they camped near the border between Hot-Springs and Frost. Naruto was now looking over his team after Mira had gone to bed. The mission had gone extremely smoothly up until this point, but Kurama had noticed that he wasn’t the only Bijuu approaching the border at the moment. It seemed that the Kumo team had the Hachibi and his container with them.

Naruto had until this point managed to put off talking with his team. Explaining that the information should be gone over on the way back, when Mira wasn’t with them, since what Naruto needed to tell his teammates didn’t need to spread to the other villages. Asuma had allowed Naruto to put off the conversation, but the blond now knew that if they ended up fighting the Hachibi, at the very least his status as a Jinchuuriki would have to be revealed. The blond had spent the past two hours talking things over with his demon and had sat his team down to talk. Though, he had spent ten minutes in silence trying to think of how to tell them.

Ino was the first to snap from the silence. “Naruto, spit it out!” She said, irritable from the long day of travel and wanting to go to bed.

Naruto sighed. “This isn’t an easy thing for me to talk about, Ino.” The girl went to roll her eyes at the blond’s statement, so he snapped at her. “You should learn that not everyone is always going to do things your way,  _ princess _ !”

Asuma took that moment to try to calm things down at that. “Naruto, I know sharing this is a big deal to you, but that is no reason to snap at your teammates. Ino, you should also be patient with your teammate when this is obviously hard for him.”

Naruto took in a breath to explain what was going on. “Sorry about taking so long, I should get started though. Kurama, can you come over here?” he called.

Asuma watched Kurama, as the fox walked over to the blond and curled into his lap. “Take a few more minutes if you need to, Naruto.”

Naruto sighed. “I am just used to how all the villagers react, it makes it hard to talk about.”

Asuma narrowed his eyes. “Naruto, I am sure you can trust your teammates not to act like the villagers.”

Naruto frowned. He liked Asuma, he really did, which made all this harder because he was about to lie to the man. “There is also your reaction to Kurama…”

That got Asuma raising a brow at Naruto. “What are you talking about?”

Naruto sighed again. “I suppose some backstory is in order before the secret, as there is more going on  than even I thought, I was going to wait until we were on our way back to Konoha to tell you all about this. But, Asuma-sensei, did you know that Kumo is infamous for attempting to kidnap bloodline users from Konoha? Including the time they tried to kidnap my mother, Kushina.”

Asuma tensed at that. “Your mother… Kushina was your mother then your dad was-”

Naruto nodded and cut Asuma off. “I don’t know whose idea it was to send the last remaining member of the Uzumaki Clan to meet a Kumo team, not to mention that we have both a Yamanaka and an Aburame with us. This smells of a setup.”

Asuma’s glare harshened. “Naruto, my father would never-”

Naruto didn’t get to snap though this time, it was Kurama. “ **Never what, refuse to let Naruto’s godparents take care of him, announce his burden and not his heritage, ignore the fact that he has been continually chased into the woods and kicked out of shops for something he has no control over.** ”

Naruto turned towards the demon at that moment while his teammates went wide-eyed. “Kurama, let me explain it to them. All of it, please… I would prefer that they hear it from me.” The demon nodded his head and Naruto sighed again. “Let me start from the beginning.”

From here, Naruto explained his life up until that point. He told them about his fourth birthday. It was his earliest memory and what he remembered was getting kicked out of the orphanage during a harrowing storm. He was found living on the streets by the Hokage a day or two later and given his apartment. He explained some of the things he had to get used to growing up, mainly dealing with the villagers’ scorn.

Then the blond explained about finding his little metal fragment and how happy he was to have something so rare once the Hokage told him what it was. He explained about being chased into the woods by a villager that claimed he stole the metal shard, he explained how he had been attacked by wolves, and how he thought he was going to die.

Taking a breath, Naruto realized he had the full attention of the other three members of his team. “Then the next thing I knew there was a voice speaking to me. Asking me if I wanted to live and telling me what I would have to give up in order for that to happen. I was saved that day and went home only to enter my mindscape.”

Asuma seemed to realize what that meant. “So you met-” and then he narrowed his eyes at the fox next to Naruto. “Nothing is free I take it.” He spat out, getting surprised looks from Ino and Shino.

Naruto nodded his head. “That was the first time I met the Kyuubi no Kitsune.”

That got a gasp from Ino. “But the Yondaime, he killed the Kyuubi.”

Naruto shook his head. “The Bijuu, of which there are nine in total, cannot be killed. They are masses of pure chakra that can make bodies for themselves out of that energy. They can only be sealed away. Each of the major villages have a Jinchuuriki. In Konoha, the Kyuubi was first sealed inside the Shodaime’s wife Mito Uzumaki. Then, he was sealed into my mother, Kushina Uzumaki.”

Naruto took a deep breath. “On the night of my birth, a man attacked my mother. When a female Jinchuuriki is in labor, the seal is weakened and the man used my birth as a way to rip the Kyuubi from her seal. He then used a control seal to make the Kyuubi attack Konoha.

My father at this point got both my mother and me hidden away in a safe place and returned to fight the man. He destroyed the control seal and then, well, everyone knows how the Yondaime teleported the Kyuubi out of the city, he then sealed him into me.”

Shino nodded to himself there. “The Yondaime is your father.”

Ino’s eyes went wide. “What are you talking about Shino?”

Shino adjusted his glasses. “I have had my suspensions due to Naruto having the Yondaime’s blond spiky hair and blue eyes, but he also just said that his father hid him and his mother away and then the Yondaime knew where to find him to seal the Kyuubi into him.”

Asuma had spent this entire time glaring at the fox in Naruto’s arms. He was going to at least wait until the story was finished before acting though. “How do you know that is all true? Not just some story the demon fed you to make it seem like he wasn’t responsible for the attack.”

Naruto took a moment to answer that. “I trust him to not lie to me but I suppose we can get to that in a moment. Back to my story though… Asuma-sensei is right that nothing is free. What the Kyuubi wanted for saving me, was something that was easy for me to give. Anyway, I changed my mindscape and he can now move around in it instead of being stuck behind a cage within a sewer.”

Naruto had glossed over a lot of information there, but it was for the best. “As for Kurama here, he is a summon. More specifically-”

Kurama spoke then. “ **I am Naruto’s personal summon as the Kyuubi finds his current jailor more hospitable than his previous two. The Kyuubi might not be the boss of the Kitsune Clan, but he may as well be. He is very powerful and respected among foxes. I am tasked with keeping Naruto alive.** ”

Ino being a mind walker, found one piece of information far more interesting than the rest. “You changed your mindscape. That shouldn’t be possible. A person’s mindscape is a physical representation of their life.”

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. “Well, it wasn’t hard. I figure that the seal changes things. Plus now that the Kyuubi isn’t in a cage within a sewer or chained to a ball of molten rock, like he was in my mindscape and my mother’s respectively, he is a lot easier to talk to. He told me a lot of things, like who my parents were, why the villagers glared at me, which in retrospect was obvious when I met him. He taught me about fighting styles and helped me get my grades up in the academy, which is something no-one else had ever bothered to do. He even made me some armor with my metal fragment and his chakra in the forest when I met him.”

With that, Naruto’s armor appeared covering his body. Kurama had to jump off the boy’s lap as Naruto stood up giving them a full view of the armor. “ **This armor is what saved me from the wolves,** ” Naruto explained flexing the gauntlets drawing attention to the armor’s clawed fingertips. “ **It is also bound to me and will grow as I do.** ”

With that, the armor was gone. “I also got a sword from the Kyuubi but that was a different deal. He took me to my parents’ house as the sealing barrier was fading and used his chakra to repair my mother’s sword which was in the ruins.”

Asuma again had narrowed eyes. “What did he want in return for that?”

Naruto was hoping the man was buying the half-truths and lies at the moment and gave an answer. “Control, well partial control over my mindscape. He still can’t access any areas besides the seal, but he can change the appearance if he wants.”

His team was quiet for the most part after that which the blond as fine with. They were coming to terms with the information they had been giving. Seeing that nothing else was happening Kurama decided to have fun at their expense. 

He did this by shifting into his human form with three tails. He had long fiery orange hair that fell straight. His bangs framed his face and the rest of his hair was pulled into a neat ponytail. His ears were pointed instead of round and he had piercing crimson eyes. His current attire was a red and black ANBU styled outfit with short sleeves.

Asuma had caught onto the sound and his eyes went wide at the sight. A kunai was in his hand a second later as the demon spoke. “Well, now that they know the truth, no use staying in that small form all the time. It will be nice to stretch out every once in a while. I also figured my human form would be better than my battle-ready form. Although, that will be needed tomorrow if things go south with the Eight-Tails.”

Ino’s head snapped towards them and a fearful expression crossed her face. “What are you talking about?”

Kurama took that moment to sit behind Naruto and wrap his arms around the boy’s waist getting wide-eyes from the rest of the team. He then curled his three tails around the boy and placed them in the boy’s lap before looking at the others. “The reason we are telling you this now, is because there is another Jinchuuriki approaching the border. Based on the chakra I am sensing I would guess the Eight-Tails. And before you ask, Asuma, the form I was in before is a smaller form for infiltrating and tomorrow I will be in my battle-ready form.”

Naruto decided to add a little information there to distract Asuma. “Also, it should be known that the Eight-Tails is contained within the new Raikage’s brother and the man had a fight with my father in the last war. He will likely recognize me, and Kumo will become aware that my father had a son.”

It was a lot of information for them all to absorb and Asuma knew that he wasn’t getting any sleep tonight. He had seen how the blond boy in front of him had been treated to a degree since they had formed a team, but to hear the extent of it and to hear that his father had done nothing.

It wasn’t right and he would have to come to terms with everything he learned, but even then he would have to keep an eye on Naruto in case the Kyuubi or his summon tried anything.

Ino for her part was shocked to her core. Konoha to her was a home, a safe haven, and to hear that a boy her age had been tortured within her walls… Well, her opinion of her home would never be the same. Suddenly, certain things made sense. Like Sakura telling Ino that her mom had told her that Naruto was a demon, the improvements that the boy had made out of nowhere in the academy, and the look Naruto used to give Sasuke. The boys were both alone, both the last of their clans and both familiar with being miserable. But where Sasuke shut himself away, Naruto tried to open up to others. The differences between them made Ino start to wonder about a lot of things concerning the last Uchiha.

Shino took a moment to examine what he had learned before coming to a conclusion. He figured from what his insects had told him, his teammate had lied and the Kyuubi was the fox - now human - in front of him. That being said, he was able to put his trust in Naruto, he had been truthful about everything else and he had told them unpleasant things about himself and his past when it was needed. He could not say the same about other people, people had a tendency to hide the ugly parts of themselves. 

His clan knew exactly what it felt like to be treated as less than human for what you contain. He  continued to think on the matter and all he had witnessed since they formed their team, he realized the demon had been free even then. Possibly longer. With all that in mind, he decided he could also trust the Kyuubi for now, and he would keep their secret.

Naruto let them sit and think in silence for a moment before looking towards the border. “We will meet up with the Kumo team early tomorrow morning. Kurama and I will be ready if things go south.” The blond muttered before moving off to the side to get some sleep. Kurama followed and curled around the blond boy as best he could.

Shino was the next to head to sleep although he remained silent. When Ino stood, she whispered to Asuma. “Asuma-sensei, is Naruto dangerous? I mean with the amount of child abuse he hinted at, it is a miracle his psyche didn’t shatter. I have never seen any hint of the demon but humans can be dangerous too.” 

Asuma shook his head. “Honestly, I think that Naruto was telling the truth about his dream. I think he wants to change Konoha into a better place so no one has to live like he did. That type of dream though would bring about drastic change, and while he is very well-adjusted considering what he went through, that makes him very dangerous. That being said… I might just agree with him.”

Naruto heard them talking and was relieved when he heard Ino heading to her tent, knowing that they weren’t going to continue discussing him without him ‘present’.

The revelations went better than he had anticipated, but he knew that he couldn’t keep Kurama’s real identity a secret forever. Even keeping it secret during the meeting tomorrow would be hard. Still, with the demon’s arms wrapped around him, the blond couldn’t bring himself to care. If he had to leave Konoha then he had to leave the village. If that happened then he would build his own village from the ground up and make that a sanctuary.

The next day, Naruto woke up with a smile, feeling the warm body wrapped around him. He felt safe in the arms of his demon. After a few seconds of thinking things over, Naruto stood up and looked for his team. He could hear the sound of the demon shifting into his fox form as he turned away from him. 

Asuma for his part was resting against a boulder, Ino was brushing her hair and pulling it into a neat ponytail to keep it out of her face, and Shino was looking at Naruto himself. When their eyes met, Shino offered the blond a nod which Naruto returned. ‘ **_The blonde is scared of what might happen today, your sensei is prepared for battle even if he seems like he is relaxing, and the insect user seems oddly calm._ ** ’

Naruto nodded and they packed up the camp. Before leaving the camp though, the demon container noticed that the Eight-Tails had broken off and was sending a signal with his demon’s chakra. Looking to Kurama the blond received a nod and spoke up. “Asuma-sensei you guys go on ahead and take Mira to the border, I have a meeting a little further to the north.”

With that said, Naruto took off and Asuma found himself cursing. On the one hand he couldn’t leave Shino and Ino on their own, but on the other hand he hated the thought of leaving Naruto alone. He didn’t have long to think of it though as they were very close to the border. With a sigh, the man decided to put his trust in Naruto, for now.

(With Naruto and Kurama)

Naruto took a deep breath as he approached the border. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen here but he knew that if a fight broke out he would be hard pressed to win. Kurama was at half strength out of the seal and that meant he was at roughly the same power as the eight-tails.

It took only a few minutes for Kurama, who was now the size of a horse with five tails with Naruto riding on his back, to make it to a clearing that was surrounded by pine tree just within the Land of Frost’s border. “Yo, yo, yo, if it isn’t Mr. Nine. Not even completely in his container this time.”

The demon nodded. “ **I do believe the last time we saw each other was during the Third Shinobi War, when you and your brother tucked your tails between your legs and ran away as my previous container arrived to back up her mate.** ”

The man nodded and Naruto took a good look at him. He had tanned skin, and was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a tattered white cape. He also had sunglasses on and seven swords on his back. “True enough I suppose, the Yondaime and his missus were certainly pros.”

Kurama shook his head annoyed at the poor rhyming. “ **Alright enough of the small talk, what did you and my brother want to see us about. If you have plans regarding my container they will fail because I will kill you personally.** ”

Killer Bee’s eyes narrowed slightly at the threat as he took his shades off showing his irises had vanished and the whites of his eyes had taken a slightly pink hue. “ **A surprising thing to hear from you brother. I would think that you would want your container killed so you could be free.** ”

Kurama snarled viciously at that. “ **If anyone harms one hair on his head I will show them why it is a bad idea to piss off a demon. If I wanted him dead he would have perished years ago. So I hope you weren’t bringing us out here to try and** **_free_ ** **me.** ”

The demon possessed Kumo ninja shook his head. “ **No brother, I was merely wondering why I felt you outside your seal, and yet your container was alive. In fact I am pleased that you have finally found a human besides our father that you can trust.** ”

Naruto, who had been listening to what was said frowned slightly as he thought about his team. “Kura, what is going on with the others?”

Kurama smiled towards the blond. “ **Do not worry, they are fine. In fact they are headed this way. Which means our time is up. It was… good to speak to you again brother.** ”

A wide-eyed, possessed, Killer Bee nodded his head as he slipped his shades back on. “ **It was good to speak with you as well. I expect to hear great things from your container in the future and do not worry about his heritage being revealed, Killer Bee will keep it a secret.** ”


	6. Chapter 5: In-between Missions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter of the things that happen in-between missions for everyone's favorite blond ninja.

The trek back to Konoha didn’t take very long and Ino had found herself slightly jealous of the fact that Naruto had a ‘summon’ to ride on. Of course the blond had tried to argue with Kurama that he could travel on his own but the demon wanted to stretch his legs and at the same time wanted to have some type of physical contact with the orange loving genin.

So, Naruto rode on Kurama’s back from the border of the Lands of Hot Springs and Frost to the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Springs. During this time, the only thing his teammates questioned was whether or not Kurama was the summon’s real name. The question came from Shino who said that the most well known summons are the toads and all of their names have gama in them. Of course, Naruto knew what the boy was truly asking and answered that Kurama was given his name by his father and it was his real name. 

At the border, the nine-tailed fox shrunk back down to his smaller form with only a single tail. From there Naruto traveled back to the village with Kurama around his neck. When they got back to the village, Asuma sent the genin home and went to report to the Hokage alone about the success of their mission.

Of course, normally a jonin took his genin to the debriefing so they would have a better idea of how things went when they became chunin and started leading squads, but he had to talk to his father about Naruto and thought it would be easier to go alone this time.

It didn’t take long for the man to arrive at his father’s office and after a few seconds he was shown in. He had his father’s ANBU leave the room and the Hokage turned on the privacy seals within the office. “What is going on Asuma? Is this about Naruto-kun?”

The jonin nodded his head before lighting a cigarette. “Yeah, I learned a few things during this mission that I figure you would want to know. It mainly has to do with why Naruto is so distant with you and why he took the news about the Kyuubi so well.”

Hiruzen leant forwards and nodded for Asuma to continue so the younger Sarutobi did. “It seems that before I told him, Naruto already knew about the Kyuubi. He met the demon when he was younger in fact. He told me that the villagers chased him into a forest and he was attacked by wolves. The Kyuubi apparently saved his life.

I mentioned that he had a pet fox, but that isn’t true. What he has is a fox summon that the Kyuubi has ordered to protect him. I don’t know what game the demon is playing at, but the summon at the very least is extremely protective of Naruto. I got a moment, just a moment to talk to him alone and it seems to me that the summon would ignore the Kyuubi’s and his boss’ orders if he thought he needed to to keep the blond safe.”

The Sandaime Hokage was a little shocked by that information. “I see, that isn’t unheard of. Anko’s summons are the snakes that decided to stay with her and Konoha instead of following Orochimaru and Madara. Summons are intelligent, sentient creatures after all. Is that all?”

Asuma took a deep breath knowing that he had saved the most important bit for last. “No… As I mentioned, I have no idea what the Kyuubi is playing at, but it seems to want to earn Naruto’s trust for something. It went as far as to tell him who his parents are which combined with you not telling him about the Kyuubi itself is likely why Naruto is so distant with you.

That being said, I truly believe that Naruto still wants to be a Konoha Shinobi and become Hokage. He also wants to make the village better and as long as the Kyuubi doesn’t try anything, I don’t think that will change. To be honest, other than Naruto knowing about his parents nothing has changed as far as the Kyuubi is concerned.”

Hiruzen let out a tired sigh as his son finished filling him in. In that moment he looked every bit the old man he was. “I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, Asuma, several of them concerning how I handled things with young Naruto-kun. Keep watching over him, Asuma, and help him form more bonds in this village. Don’t make the same mistakes I did and believe things will work out because of your faith in the village and its inhabitants. Dismissed.”

(With Naruto)

After getting back to the village, Naruto sent a couple of shadow clones out. One of them went to the market, one to clean his apartment, and one to Ichiraku’s to refill his stock of ramen rations. As for himself the genin decided to go see his old academy instructor Iruka.

Iruka may not of liked him when they had first met, but the man had believed in him for years and had even saved his life in the past. Kurama for his part had slipped back inside the seal to rest. He had no interest in being around the kids that Iruka was likely teaching now. It didn’t take very long for the blond to make it to the academy and as he got there he couldn't help but to walk up to the single swing that was out front.

Sitting on that swing was a young boy. The boy had brown hair and blue eyes. Naruto could also see the slight resemblances to Asuma and the Sandaime and figured the boy was a Sarutobi. “What are you doing out here? Isn’t class in session?”

The demon container asked as he stood beside the boy. The child, who hadn’t noticed Naruto before the blond spoke jumped off the swing and spun around in shock. However, his attire did him no favors. The boy was wearing grey pants, a yellow shirt with the leaf symbol on it, and a large blue scarf. The scarf was so large that it got caught under the boy’s foot and he fell down.

As he sat on the ground the kid glared at Naruto. “What do you want?!” 

Naruto couldn’t help but to see the loneliness in those blue eyes and saw himself sitting there on the ground for a second before reaching down and helping the kid up. “We could start with names. I am Uzumaki Naruto, and it is nice to meet you.”

The brown-haired boy frowned slightly before crossing his arms across his chest. “My name is Konohamaru, not that anyone calls me that.” he muttered bitterly.

Naruto shook his head and looked towards the academy. “So what are you doing out here Konohamaru, isn’t the academy in session right now?”

Konohamaru looked torn for a moment. On the one hand he obviously didn’t want to talk about what was bothering him, but the boy also wanted someone to talk to. At least that was Naruto’s guess. “I don’t want to go in there. No one in there even likes me.”

That hit home for the blond as he looked towards the younger boy. “What makes you say that?”

The Sarutobi shifted a little and looked towards the Hokage Monument. “My name is Konohamaru, and I was named after the village. You think it would be easy to remember but no one ever calls me that. Everyone always calls me Honorable Grandson because my grandpa is the Third Hokage.”

Naruto couldn’t help but see the similarities between the two. Both descended from Kages, both looked at for something besides themselves, and both isolated because of it. “So, you are skipping class because of them. I guess you don’t want to be a ninja then.”

Konohamaru looked towards the demon container with a glare. “What are you talking about, I am going to be the Hokage one day!”

That got a laugh from the blond. “Well, if that is true come with me. I will teach you something.” 

In retrospect, taking a child to a graveyard wasn’t Naruto’s original plan for the day, but he thought Konohamaru needed this, so he lead the boy to the giant stone flame symbol in Konoha’s memorial grounds where the heroes of Konoha were buried. “Do you know why I brought you here Konohamaru?”

When the boy shook his head Naruto pointed towards the monument. “You know this is where all the greatest heroes in the leaf village are buried right?” A small nod from the boy and Naruto continued. “Three out of our four Hokage are buried here. The Shodaime died in battle, the Nidaime died in battle, and the Yondaime died in battle. The Hokage position isn’t about being recognized Kono, I know because when I was younger I wanted it for the same reasons you do.”

Konohamaru shifted as he looked at the monument and all the graves around him. “So you don’t want to be Hokage anymore?”

Naruto shrugged. “I do, but for a different reason. If I am unable to become Hokage though it wouldn’t matter as long as there is someone else wearing that hat who would help me with my goal. See I don’t care about being recognized by the village anymore. I have the recognition of my friends and that is enough for me. The adoration of thousands of nameless faces means less than the love of one friend or family member to me.”

Konohamaru was looking at the blond now as the older male continued. “You might not have friends in your class right now, but if you keep trying you will find someone who will see past the fact that you are the Sandaime’s grandson and see you for you. Think of it as training in a way, after all a true ninja, one like the Yondaime Hokage, doesn’t give up just because things look tough.”

Konohamaru looked to Naruto with stars in his eyes and smiled. “Well, then from now on you are my trainer and you can give me advice on becoming Hokage. Then when I become the Hokage I can help you with your dream!” The boy said as he rushed back to the academy to start his ‘training.’

Naruto smiled and headed back towards his apartment. He knew that his plan for the day had been interrupted, but he could go see Iruka some other day. Now, he even had a second reason to go to the academy as it would allow him to check on Konohamaru.

The next few days went by rather slowly for the blond ninja as he had some time off from missions after their C-rank. Of course that gave him time to do something with Kurama today. It was actually a shock to the young teen but on the last day of his ‘vacation’ his demonic boyfriend had left the seal and told him they were going on a date.

Naruto had assumed that with the dark orange-haired fox’s hatred for the village meant that for the most part that physical dates would be as best, picnics in the forest with food that Naruto himself cooked. Instead, the two were going to go out and do something in town and the human had no idea what. However he was told to dress in nice clothes although nothing fancy.

The thought of it actually made Naruto quite nervous. He was about to go on his first official date with Kurama. His stomach was filled with butterflies and he couldn’t help but feel excited. Soon enough the bathroom door opened and Naruto and Kurama were face to face. Naruto had on a white button-up shirt with the Uzumaki Spiral on the back of it and black ANBU styled dress pants.

Kurama for his part was wearing his black kimono and Naruto wondered what the people in this village would think of the fact that it had the kanji for nine on the sleeves. As the thought came to mind though the symbol disappeared and was replaced by a symbol Naruto had never seen. It was a white circle outlined in black, with a black shuriken in the very center. Under the black shuriken was a white one, that was also outlined in black although on the points of it could be seen. Sticking out from under the second shuriken were flower petals of some sort.

Kurama noticed Naruto’s eyes on the symbol. “When I am out in the village I will be going by the name Otsutsuki Kurama, and this symbol is the tag of the Otsutsuki clan.” Naruto nodded his head in understanding before Kurama moved close to the blond with a grin on his face. “Are you ready saiai?”

A soft smile came to Naruto’s face at the question. “Yeah Kurama, I am ready.”

Kurama smirked slightly as he start performing handsigns. “ **Demonic Release: Demonic Gateway!** ” The Bijuu called out as he placed his hands on the ground. Seconds later black stone started rising from the floor and that stone was formed into an arch.

The arch became surrounded by a red glow for a moment before a swirling mass of red energy formed a portal within the arch. “Come along, saiai.” Kurama said softly as he approached the gate. Naruto took the chakra construct’s hand without hesitation and they stepped inside the portal together.

Five things were noticed by the blond as he stepped out of the other side of the portal. The first was that the moment they were through, the portal snapped closed. The second was that Kurama had a roguelike smirk that made him look devilishly handsome. The third was that it was incredibly cold, in fact it was snowing. The fourth was that Kurama’s chakra was acting like a heater and Naruto knew that to stay warm, he would have to practically walk around in the demon’s arms. The fifth and final thing was that there seemed to be a festival in the town they were next to.

Before Naruto could even think about complaining, he was being held by the Bijuu and the cold was chased away. “Are you ready for our date saiai, if you are, just remember to stay close.”

The Jinchuuriki couldn’t help it, he laughed at that. “You didn’t have to take me somewhere cold to make sure I stayed close the entire time, Kurama-Kun, I like being close to you.”

The demon shifted Naruto around to so he could walk at Naruto’s side, one arm slipped around his waist. “It is your first time at an actual festival and I didn’t want you running around checking everything out and leaving me trailing after you. This way, we can both check out everything at a comfortable pace and be together while we do it.”

Their date took several joyful hours, where they ate delicious food from various stands, playing a few games - Kurama winning Naruto a stuffed lion - and Kurama showing Naruto how to modify his chakra to walk on snow instead of water. Over all, they both had a good time but they eventually had to go home. Back in Konoha, Naruto watched the gateway that Kurama made for them to return through disappear.

At that moment the blond made a choice, and when Kurama turned around to face him, the boy moved forward and kissed the demon. 

Now they had given each other quick, fleeting kisses before but Kurama had insisted that Naruto set the pace of their relationship as he didn’t want to make the blond uncomfortable or force the human to do anything he might not feel ready for.

This kiss wasn’t just a peck though. Instead, Naruto connected their lips and held the kiss for longer than ever before, curling his fingers in Kurama’s clothes to anchor them together and  tentatively opening his mouth enough to poke his tongue through licking gently at the demon’s lips.

Kurama’s eyes went wide at the action before a light possessive growl tore form his though as his mouth opened and his own tongue pushed Naruto’s back into the blond’s cavern which the demon then plundered. The new sensations caused Naruto to moan lightly as the demon dominated the kiss.

When Kurama pulled back a few moments later, Naruto was panting with a slightly glazed look in his eyes and Kurama was having to restrain himself from making the blond moan again and again.

As they both calmed down Naruto grinned at the demon. “We need to do that more often.”

Again the rogue-like smirk came to the demon’s face and Kurama moved a little closer once more. “Agreed, saiai.”

a/n: Short chapter but it has what i wanted it to be


	7. Chapter 6: I'll Be An Armored Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's team goes on another mission but this one doesn't go as planned.

Naruto was standing in front of the Hokage once more with his team. They were getting a mission but this time they were being paired with another team. That team wasn’t here yet though and Asuma hadn’t told them who they were going with.

A few minutes later and Naruto could barely hold back a groan when Hinata walked into the room directly behind her sensei. Kiba and Choji entering the room a moment later with Akamaru barking in excitement/fear from where he was held in Kiba’s arms.

Kiba saw Kurama in Naruto’s hands and obviously wanted to talk about the blonde’s fox but had enough sense not to talk about it now in the middle of the Hokage’s office. When they were all watching him the Sandaime finally spoke about what the mission was going to be.

“Alright teams eight and ten, your mission is a C-rank, but it is likely to become a B-rank which is why we are sending two teams. You see, we just had a client from Wave who lied about his mission, the one which  Team Seven and Team Gai took, and I realized that this mission could change rank as well.” He paused for a moment letting that sink in before continuing, “I would have preferred the second genin team to be more experienced, but your teams are the only two available at the moment.

You will be headed to the Land of Tea, a new village there has just appeared in the last few months. Though this village is rumored to be more of a bandit outpost than a civilian hamlet, and even if they aren’t, they refuse to abide by the Lord of Tea’s laws.” The old man explained. “You are to go there and access the situation, and if needed, relocate these supposed villagers.”

The two jonin sent their genin to pack while they stayed behind to talk with the Sandaime. “Any more news on the fox summon, Asuma?” The old man asked the second the three were alone.

The younger Sarutobi nodded his head. “Actually, I have been observing the fox a little more closely since we learned it was a summon and I have reached a conclusion. I think the fox actually cares for Naruto. There have been times when Naruto wanted to eat extra ramen and the fox nipped his ears or he started to slack on his training only to get a tail whack to the back of the head. It really seems as though the fox has his best interests at heart.”

Taking a breath Asuma continued. “As you know, Naruto was saved by the Kyuubi when he was younger at the price of having to rearrange his mindscape. However there is no sign of the demon influencing either Naruto or his summon. Naruto knows not to trust the demon and the Yondaime’s seal is incredibly complex. So it seems that the demon still has no real freedom.”

The Sandaime nodded and waved the two on and dismissed them.

\---

Naruto for his part had made it back to his apartment and packed. A few seconds later and his normal supplies were sealed within a scroll which was then placed with his emergency supplies scroll in his tool pouch. As he made his way to the village’s main gates, Naruto wondered if Hinata, Choji, or Kiba used storage seals since they came from a ninja family.

The blond had already given his team a few scrolls so both Shino and Ino would be using them. Of course, he mused, the two hadn’t used them on their first mission and they had come from clans.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, the genin took to the roofs and made his way to the gates. Seeing that he was the first one there, he sat down on top of a building to wait for the others.

Kurama took this opportunity to curl up in Naruto’s lap and take a short nap.

Hinata was the second to arrive, although she held back a ways and Naruto could practically feel her staring at him with her family’s doujutsu. The next to arrive was Shino and the taller genin came to sit beside beside Naruto and offered the blond one of the two rice balls that his mother had forced him to take.

Naruto accepted it with a smile and ate happily next to his teammate, chatting about what they had packed for the mission and the likelihood of it turning into a B rank as the Sandaime had implied. Shino, Naruto had decided, was his best friend. The blonde was almost certain that the bug user knew that Naruto had lied about Kurama and knew that the chakra construct was really the Kyuubi, and yet he still treated Naruto as a friend and trusted him.

The other boy didn’t talk much but he was smart, and Naruto trusted him more than anyone else in his life, but only if you excluded Kurama.

Choji and Kiba arrived together next, but given that their clan compounds were close to each other it wasn’t really a surprise. Before anyone else arrived, Hinata made herself known to the others, although Kiba and Shino both likely knew she had been close by.

In that moment though, Ino came into view with the two jonin right beside her. Naruto for his part found himself staring into the eyes of woman that lead team eight. He knew now why he thought her eyes were so pretty.

He had noticed they were red before, but with a closer look he could see they were two different shades. The outer ring of her iris was a crimson that reminded him of Kurama’s own eyes, and the inner ring was a darker muted red that reminded Naruto of his mother’s hair.

Offering the woman a smile, he jumped down from the building and tried to recall if he had ever heard her name before. She didn’t introduce herself at the academy and just picked up her team and left, and the Hokage hadn’t said anything about the team they were working with before Team Eight had shown up.

Asuma had also neglected to mention what her name was when he had talked about the other teams that would form. With that in mind, Naruto offered his hand to her. “My name is Uzumaki Naruto and this is Kurama.”

The woman smiled at him and took his hand. “Yuuhi Kurenai. It is going to be a pleasure to work with you and your team, Naruto. Hinata, Choji, Kiba, and Akamaru, this is Asuma.” She said gesturing to Team Ten’s sensei in order to introduce him to her team.

With the introductions over the group left the gates and Kiba couldn’t wait more than a few minutes before speaking up. “Yo, Naruto. What is up with the fox?”

Naruto smiled at the dog fanatic and looked to Kurama. “He is a summon, more specifically my personal summon from the fox clan.” As the blond informed Kiba, Kurama jumped from his arms and grew into a horse-sized fox with four tails and Naruto allowed himself to be picked up by two of the tails and placed on the fox’s back.

Team Eight all looked shocked at the sight,and Kiba looked down to Akamaru who had whimpered. “Hey don’t worry bud, Naruto said that his fox is a summon. So you are still the best ninkin around.”

Kurama for his part scoffed at that. “ **Even if I was a ninja animal I wouldn’t be a ninkin. I would be a ninkitsune. Foo-** ”

Naruto cut the fox off though. “Still having Akamaru around will be cool. An extra set of heightened senses.”

Akamaru barked what Naruto assumed was a thank-you and the group traveled for a ways in quiet.

\---

Hours later, the group had stopped to make camp for the night and Naruto unsealed his tent, which thanks to some nifty chakra seals Kurama had shown him, took about thirty seconds to set up. He then rummaged around for some blank scrolls, a full inkwell and a set of brushes. He had noticed when the trio of genin from the other team had shown up, that they had packs instead of scrolls and decided to make them each one.

Kurama for his part transformed back into his smallest form and lay down beside him. ‘ **_Are you sure you wish to make one for the stalker?_ ** ’

Naruto sent a mental nod back to the fox. ‘ _ It wouldn’t be fair to make one for Choji and Kiba but not Hinata. _ ’

‘ **_Yet she could obsess over you giving her this and further convince herself that you two are ‘meant to be.’_ ** ’ The demon explained as he yawned, seemingly content to nap beside Naruto as he worked.

The human started humming as he got to work on the first storage scroll. Unlike the ones bought in the shops within Konoha, his had multiple sealing sections so things could be stored or retrieved individually. Most jonin knew how to make the scrolls, but few rarely did.

After a few strokes on his first scroll, the blond spoke to his demon once more. ‘ _ That is true… She might. However, the only person who I will ever be with is you, Kurama. You know that, and if it bothers you that much, then once we are back outside of the Land of Fire’s borders transform into your human form and stake a claim. _ ’

The final thought from the blond had such a cheeky overtone to it and Kurama had to suppress a growl. ‘ **_Well, seeing as how you want me to, Saiai, then just wait. The moment we set up camp over the border you will be ravished by me and they will ALL know you’re mine._ ** ’

The human couldn’t help but to smile at that and with all the cheek he could muster responded. ‘ _ Promises, Promises. _ ’ Of course, he did want the demon to fulfill that promise. It had seemed like ever since their date, the boy couldn’t kiss the demon enough, even if he felt like anything more was rather far off for the time being.

Not more than a few seconds later though, Kurenai noticed what Naruto was working on and addressed him. “Are you making more storage seals, Naruto-kun?”

Naruto nodded as he finished the first one and realized everyone was looking at him. “Yeah, I made one for Ino and Shino after our first mission and thought that Kiba, Hinata, and Choji would like one and it is good practice for me too. The more I work on the formulas the more at ease I will feel when working on new seals.”

Hinata blushed at the information, while Kiba and Choji both looked happy at the news. Kurenai for her part smiled softly. “That is kind of you still. Although I should let you know that Choji already has a standard storage scroll for his food.”

Naruto gave the woman a smile and handed her the first scroll. “These aren’t the standard ones though. They are the multi-compartment variety.”

Kurenai looked the scroll over with wide-eyes here. “This is impressive seal work for a genin. I thought the only genin that could make these was the girl on Gai’s crew.”

Naruto shrugged and went back to his seals. He could make them rather easily but still didn’t want to be distracted. One wrong line could have the scrolls exploding after all.

Soon enough the blond was finished with the three scrolls and gave one to a grinning Kiba, an eating Choji, and a blushing Hinata. The two boys had both offered a thank you, with Choji offering Naruto some chips as well. Hinata though barely managed to stutter out her thanks before she ran into her tent.

Ino for her part winced as she remembered how Naruto had cuddled with his summon during their last mission. She could only hope that Hinata wouldn’t have her heart broken too badly. In fact, the young mind walker was certain that with the summon having a human form, Naruto and the creature were in some type of relationship. It certainly didn’t hurt that the summons human form was cute! 

That thought had formed early on their mission and only solidified by the two’s behavior since then. With that in mind, the platinum blonde started thinking of ways to comfort the other girl when she found out.

\---

Two days later would be when everyone would know for sure that Naruto was dating his supposed summon. Because the moment they had finished setting up camp across the border Kurama transformed into his human form getting shocked stares from Kiba, Choji, Hinata, Kurenai, and Akamaru.

After the demon had finished popping his knuckles, neck, back, and knees he found himself grinning and moving towards Naruto. “It is nice to stretch out like this.” He muttered and he stopped the blond from saying anything in return when Kurama pulled the boy close to him and kissed him, quite thoroughly.

There were several sounds of shock from the others before a silence fell over the clearing but Kurama merely focused on the moan he pulled from  _ his _ human as he pillaged the blond’s mouth. “That was for your cheek, brat.”

Naruto’s response was to grin and pull the demon back to him for another kiss. At this point, Kurama started cataloguing the various reactions they received even as he submitted to being kissed by his smaller mate.

Kiba and Choji had both frozen in complete and total shock, jaws dropped low as they gaped at the two making out. Hinata took one look at the intimate interactions and ran into her tent heartbroken. Ino had made to follow and comfort the other girl after a quick fist pump to celebrate her correct intuition. On Shino’s part, the ninja from the bug clan just shrugged, interpreting correctly that this had something to do with the Kyuubi’s more relaxed nature.

The two sensei’s, Asuma and Kurenai, shared a weighted look before quickly replacing themselves with clones to go talk about what they had just witnessed.

Kurenai for her part was greatly perturbed and turned to Asuma the moment they felt they were out of earshot. “What in the hell just happened!?”

Asuma shook his head and reached for a cigarette. “I am not entirely sure. I knew that the summon had a human form, but I wasn’t expecting to see something like that.”

Kurenai shook her head. “I… Is that allowed? Will the other summons say something about it, should  _ we _ say something about it?”

Asuma lit his smoke, took a drag and exhaled, “I don’t really know. On the one hand Kurama is Naruto’s summon and it is, to put it politely, quite odd and a little disturbing. On the other hand, Naruto feels like that summon is the only one he can truly trust at times. I have seen it. He is still guarded with me and his teammates and while he tries to be friends with them he doesn’t trust us completely. I feel like anything we might say will be promptly ignored regardless.”

Kurenai still looked like she was searching for something to say but for the moment stayed quiet.

(break)

Meanwhile back at the camp Naruto was getting grilled for information by both Kiba and Choji. “How did this even happen!?” The dog lover shouted.

Naruto blushed a little and scratched his head. “Well, I have had Kurama as a summon for a long time. Since around the time I started improving in the academy. After a little while of knowing him, he would sometimes switch to his human form and we would play games and stuff. I didn’t really have a lot of friends when we were younger, you know. Sometimes it felt like it was just Kurama and me.”

The blond took a breath here before continuing with his half-truth. “I was an orphan for as long as I could remember and while I knew what a mom and dad were I didn’t really understand the concept of marriage until Kurama explained it to me when I saw an outdoor wedding. The idiot I was back then, I told him that I would marry him one day and well foxes take that stuff seriously.”

As the boy scratched the back of his head embarrassed, Kurama took over. “So I have been and will continue to court him until we do marry. Just recently we went on a date and he decided I was allowed to kiss him. It helps that he enjoys cuddling with me.”

Naruto laughed a little at that. “ _ You’re _ the one obsessed with cuddling me. It doesn’t matter if it is in your fox form or human form, you just want to wrap yourself around me. Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I would swear you needed to cuddle in order to live.”

Kiba and Choji were both still shocked but the awkward silence was broken when Kiba turned to Akamaru and spoke.  “No more sleeping in the same bed or cuddling, agreed bud?”

Naruto was probably the one that laughed the hardest at that. He had thought the entire situation was a little funny though. A great prank for sure.

Things did become a little awkward once more when Hinata and Ino emerged from the pale-eyed girl’s tent. It was obvious that the Hyuuga had been crying. The white of her eyes, almost unnoticeable with the large pale lavender irises, were easily visible at the moment due to their bloodshot appearance.

Naruto felt bad for the girl but didn’t really know what he could or should say to her. He had never once in the past expressed interest in her in any sense, and the only time that they had really communicated had been when he had saved her from some bullies. 

He understood that her feelings were likely borne of that, but even so he still found her obsession with him a tad bit creepy at the same time. In that moment the blond figured the best thing he could do was go to either Kurenai or Ino for advice when one of them was alone.

Besides, Ino would likely help Hinata through it more than Naruto would. With that plan in mind, Naruto helped get a few things ready around camp. Before long the entire group was sitting in front of the fire with Konoha’s resident demon ‘container’ snuggled up to his demon.

At this point things had settled enough that Kiba had more questions. “So why doesn’t Kurama stay in his human form all the time? I can’t imagine he likes to be carried around a lot.”

Everyone seemed to be all ears, as Asuma, Ino, and Shino had similar questions but had wanted to wait until a better time to ask. Kurama didn’t mind the questions though. “The main reason I stay in my small form is for the peace of mind of the citizens of Konoha. I figure that it would make them uncomfortable to see me in my battle ready form after the Kyuubi attack.”

Naruto took over here. “As for why he doesn’t stay human, it is mainly because he didn’t want to be a ninja of Konoha. Foxes like to be free so you would have a hard time convincing any of them to really stay in one place. That is why I don’t really summon any of the others.”

Ino was the next to have a question. “I thought all summons went back to their realm after the chakra that brought them out had been expended, how often does Kurama return?” 

The blond human scratched the back of his head. “Well when he first became my summon he went back while I was asleep and at the academy. Now though with him being my personal summon, he doesn’t need to go back.”

The two jonin both looked doubtful at that so Kurama took over. “See I have bound myself to Naruto and will go where he goes. To do this, I severed a link I had with my summoning realm and made one to this plane with Naruto as a tether of sorts. It is hard to explain but it essentially lets me gather chakra from this plane instead of returning home to gather chakra there.”

A few more stupid questions flew around at this point, like what did Kurama eat, but before long it was time for the genin to turn in. Asuma and Kurenai had decided to take turns keeping watch as the genin would need their energy tomorrow when they had to deal with whatever town had sprung up.

\---

The night had passed quickly and now the group of Konoha shinobi found themselves in front of a small settlement that was surrounded by wooden walls. Before they could do anything a woman came out of the settlement to greet them. “Welcome to  Ushinawareta, a place for the lost who are looking for a home. ”

The woman seemed polite enough and after introductions had been made, she let the assembled party into the village. She also immediately invited the lot of them to a feast that was set for that night. ‘ **_Careful kit, this woman reeks of bad intentions._ ** ’

Due to the warning from his demon Naruto didn’t relax and he noticed Kurenai and Asuma hadn’t either. Of course, as the day passed within the village it got harder to stay suspicious. In fact everyone in the village seemed to bend over backwards to welcome the Konoha shinobi.

The only person who wasn’t, the only person they had yet to see, was the leader of the settlement and they were informed that they would meet him after the feast.

The feast though, is when the trouble would begin. Because after all this time, even Asuma and Kurenai had let their guard down. What was Naruto supposed to say to them. Sorry my summon doesn’t feel good about this place when he couldn’t explain that Kurama could sense the negative emotions of others. If the emotion sensing got back to the Hokage, the old man would liken it to Mito’s ability and likely realize who Kurama really was.

They were the leaders of the mission and Kurama and Naruto both agreed they would just stay vigilant until something happened and then report it to Kurenai or Asuma.

The feast had started and before the demon could say anything, all of the other genin were digging into the food. Choji had his plate piled high with the assortment of meats that were available while Ino was eating a salad.

Of course it didn’t matter what any of them had eaten because it was all laced with a sedative. The only shinobi that hadn’t eaten was Naruto, and that was because Kurama had managed to take control of his body in time to stop the ramen from touching the human’s lip. ‘ **_We have a problem Saiai. The food has been tampered with._ ** ’

Right as those words had crossed into the blond’s mind, the young genin saw his peers’ heads drop into their plates. Asuma and Kurenai had both stopped eating after just a few bites and were obviously fighting the urge to pass out, both barely able to stay awake.

That was when the leader of the town showed his face. The man was dark skinned, had grey hair and brown eyes, and wore a Iwa headband that had the village symbol scratched out. As Naruto looked at the man he felt a little nervous due to how strong the missing-nin looked.

The man wasn’t that big, but his chakra was visibly swirling around him and the muscles that the man did have were bulging from the amount of chakra going through them. “Well, well, well, it seems one of the little genin didn’t feel hungry. Don’t worry kid, you will just be the first sacrificed to the great Lord Shinigami! I WILL MAKE SURE YOU BLEED FOR HIM!” The man chuckled.

Before the blond could retort something hit the back of his neck and he collapsed. 

\---

When he woke up Naruto noticed that he was the only one awake at the moment. He also noticed that Kurama wasn’t with him and he was tied up. That more than anything was freaking him out. He had never been without Kurama since the day he was born. ‘ **_Relax kid, I am nearby. I figured you would want to save any others that might be being held captive so I let them think I was a normal nin-animal and that I had ate. Asuma, Kurenai, Akamaru, and I are all in another room._ ** ’

Taking a deep breath when he heard Kurama’s ‘voice’, Naruto relaxed and now that he was a little more focused he could see several other children were tied up in the room he was in and that the jonin weren’t either. With that in mind, the whiskered male decided it was time to start planning his escape.

Before he could plan too much though the door to the room he was being kept in was opened. The woman who entered was the same woman that had greeted them when they had first arrived in the village. “Good you are up. Master Shi is waiting for your presence at the altar.” She said with a smile.

As she went to grab him, he sneered at her and launched forward, slamming his forehead into the woman’s nose. He didn’t knock her out like he had planned, but he did send her reeling back into Choji who woke at the sudden impact. “How about you tell your master to let these people go before I take him down!” Naruto snapped as he focused enough chakra into his hands to break the ropes that bound them.

When the woman saw that he was free she ran from the room, and Naruto unknotted the rope that had been binding his feet together. Now free, he moved to where his weapon pouch was on a nearby table and unsealed a kunai.

Throwing the knife to Choji, Naruto faced the door. “Wake and free the others. I will go try to find Asuma-sensei.”

The whiskered male didn’t wait on a reply though. Instead he rushed out the door and saw that the woman was running down the hall. ‘ _ Kurama, can you get everyone in there with you free? _ ’ When the blond got a mental nod from his demon, he grinned. ‘ _ Good then I will stop them from alerting the missing-nin that we are breaking free. Bring Asuma-sensei with you and come find me so we can stop this before anyone else is hurt. _ ’

Naruto didn’t wait on a reply from his demon before rushing after the woman. Unfortunately, she had made it through two hallways into a large open-ceiling room that had an altar in the center of it. There next to the altar was the woman as well as the missing-nin who had orchestrated this whole situation.

The man burst out laughing when he saw Naruto. Before slitting the woman next to him’s throat. “My first sacrifice has made it despite this bitch’s failure, and just in time too. The moon is in the proper position and the Lord Shinigami will thank me when I hand him your beautiful soul. I will please my lord when I give him your friends too. Then… Then, he will make sure to never take me. My followers and I will become immortal as long as we please him.”

Inside his head, Naruto heard a scoff. ‘ **_Mortals always get stupid ideas in their heads about immortality, but the fact of the matter is the Gods will ignore his supposed offering even if he did kill you. The man is insane. I will enjoy killing him when I get in there._ ** ’

That wasn’t what Naruto wanted at the moment though. ‘ _ No Kurama, let me handle this. I need to test myself, I need to make sure I have gotten strong enough to be by your side! _ ’

That got another scoff from the demon, and Naruto knew that it was because the demon didn’t care how strong Naruto was in the end. Naruto knew that it was his heart that drew the demon in, so he continued. ‘ _ Besides… I want to protect the people of the Land of Tea. I want to keep them safe and the best way I can do that is to take him down. _ ’

With that in mind Naruto glared into Shi’s eyes. The man had finally stopped his monologue while Naruto finished his conversation with the Kyuubi. “I will give you one chance to surrender Shi. You can come back to Konoha and face trial, or I can drag you back. Either way, you won’t get a chance to hurt anyone else ever again.”

That got another insane chuckle from the older ninja. “Who do you think you are?! Some pathetic wanna-be ninja. News flash kid, ninja die!” With that Shi charged at Naruto, drawing a sword as he did.

Naruto let the man charge as he noticed the other prisoners, including the jonin come into the room. As Shi got closer Naruto closed his eyes and orange armor suddenly covered his form. Shi’s sword struck the armor and broke, causing the man’s eyes to widen. “ **Ninja might die in the line of duty.** ”

Naruto had made this statement as calm as he could as his sword appeared in his hand. The blood red blade was glowing with orange energy and the light of the moon hitting the blade made the sword look almost ethereal. “ **So, I won’t be just another ninja. I will be a hero!** ” The blond called out as his blade swung through the air, cutting an arc through the night to pierce the older ninja’s side.

As Shi dropped to the ground, the man started convulsing. “ **My blade is poisonous to all but a select few and you are not one of them. All it takes is a single cut. and you will be rendered useless. The larger the cut the larger the chance that you die. I am sorry that you chose this path Shi, but maybe you can find peace in the next life.** ”

With his piece said, Naruto let the armor and sword melt away back into the seal and made sure to stand tall as the life left Shi’s eyes. He had never killed someone before but Kurama had done his best to prepare the blond for the day it would happen. Ninjas killed people, it was a fact of the occupation.

Still as Naruto turned to his teammates and friends he couldn’t keep a few tears from building up in his eyes. He wasn’t the only one affected by what just happened though. Ino had a hand over her mouth and was obviously in shock over what she had just seen. Shino looked calm for the most part but his fingers were twitching showing that the boy wasn’t completely calm.

Kiba looked a little scared and Choji too had tears in his eyes. Naruto realized that the chubby boy was probably a little too empathetic for a ninja, but he was the same way himself. Asuma looked like he had failed some task he had set himself and Kurenai was currently walking towards Naruto slowly.

Then there was Hinata. After Naruto’s speech to Shi, the girl had stars in her eyes and was staring at Naruto as if he was some knight in shining armor. The thought made Naruto send a desperate plea to any Gods that would listen that she took the hint that was shoved in her face when Kurama had kissed the blond in front of her.

Somehow he doubted his prayers were heard. Looking away from the other shinobi though, Naruto saw relief and guilt on the faces of the other former prisoners. The adults looked guilty, most likely because a child had to kill someone to save them, while the children looked glad to see their parents safe and sound.

It was at that moment that Kurenai, who had Kurama on her shoulders, made it to Naruto. The fox was quick to jump onto Naruto’s shoulders and do his best to hug the blond in his small form, by curling his body around the back of the human’s neck.

Kurenai dropped to her knees in front of Naruto and wrapped him in a hug as well. The contact shocked Naruto, as the only other person that had hugged him was Kurama. “I am so sorry you had to deal with him, Naruto. It should have never been on you to kill someone so soon into your career. Sometimes it just can’t be helped though. I am sorry Asuma or I didn’t realize the food was drugged. We should have...”

The woman was likely going to say something else so Naruto stopped her. “Kurenai-sensei it is okay. The only reason I didn’t eat was because Kurama said the food smelled funny. You couldn’t have known. Everyone in the village had been so welcoming. It isn’t your fault, and even if it was sooner than most, this is something that I would have had to deal with eventually. 

Don’t be sad alright… _ I can handle it better than the others, Kurama made sure I understood that a shinobi kills from a young age. I… It… I will be alright I promise. _ ” Naruto said, whispering the last part and breaking a little at the end. He wasn’t sure how long it would be until he could talk about exactly what he was feeling, but he could hold it together until they got back to Konoha.

With that done, Naruto noticed that the others were moving towards him. Kurenai had also released him and Naruto turned to Asuma. “What do we do now, Sensei? The rest of the town was in on this to some degree weren’t they? He said he had followers.”

The man nodded. “That is true and we will have to deal with them. However, they are civilians and it will be easier to arrest them, than it would have been to arrest Shi. Now, you don’t have to watch this but I am going to cut Shi’s head off and seal both his head and body away to take to Konoha. I will also be making sure that you get the funds that his bounty will bring in.”

Naruto was glad for the heads up, but he still turned and watched as Asuma did exactly that. He had killed the man already and he understood that studying his body might reveal secrets that could save lives. He owed it to his fellow shinobi to make sure that the body was brought in. He was, however, glad that he wasn’t the one that had to cut the head off the corpse.

With Shi sealed away, the group made their way out of the building they were in. The villagers, who were now enjoying an actual feast were shocked when the shinobi walked out of the prison they had been kept in.

It started a panic in the town and Naruto closed his eyes for a moment before placing his hands in a cross-shaped seal. “ **Shadow Clone Jutsu!** ” He called out, making thirty clones of himself. The clones instantly got to work knocking out and tying up the villagers that had turned out to be more akin to bandits than civilians.

Asuma and Kurenai helped too, as did the other genin, but in the end Naruto’s clones had captured the most. ‘ **_I know it is hard right now kid, and we will talk more back home… But I am proud of how you did today. You will be a hero… an armored hero perhaps, but a hero still. And I will be right beside you as you remake Konoha into a place my father would be proud of. A place where anyone will be welcome and if anyone threatens that… threatens your dream. I will deal with them. I will keep you and your dream safe._ ** ’

Naruto felt more tears threatening to spill at that, but he held them back using every ounce of willpower he possessed. He knew that his demon was violent towards others. In fact he was certain that if it wasn’t for him, that Kurama would be content to sit back and watch the other humans kill themselves.

The Kyuubi wouldn’t though, because Naruto wouldn’t want that. The thought that he was the only thing keeping the demon from being this mass of hate hellbent on watching the world was both frightening and exhilarating. 

Yet, in those moments where Kurama said something so tender, so amazingly perfect, or so touching Naruto could feel his heart stop and start again. He could imagine giving up everything else and living for no one but Kurama. In this moment, the blond could see it too.

He could see them going back to Konoha, turning in his headband, slipping away from the village unnoticed… He could see them settling down hidden in a small town and opening a small inn. Something to provide a steady income.

He would use his shadow clones to keep the place clean and Kurama would spend half his time napping in the sun and the other half the time locked in a room with Naruto. It would be a simple life and they would both be happy.

Then as the picture completed itself in his mind, Naruto saw Konoha. He saw it becoming just like The Bloody Mist. He saw it being a place that hunted down and shackled or killed bloodline users. Then he saw the wealthy civilians having those who upset them executed.

It was true he could turn his back on Konoha and hide away with Kurama, and he might be happier if he did and he would never have to kill again… But he wouldn’t. He would fulfill his dream and turn Konoha into a better place. A village that cared more about what was just than the best way to line a pocket. He would turn it into a haven for those that had nowhere else to go.

With that in mind, a fire was lit in Naruto’s eyes. He didn’t want to kill and he would only do it when needed, but if he had to do it to save others or to protect his dream than he would. And no matter what happened, Kurama would be by his side. With his demon at his side Naruto would tear the world apart and rebuild it if that was what it took.

Peace through diplomacy would always be his first choice though. ‘ _ I love you Kurama… More than I can express in words. _ ’

\---

It didn’t take long for them to have every one of the men and women that had gathered to support Shi tied up. They also knew that the nearest outpost they could use to send word to the Lord of Tea was a Day’s run away.

Then they would still have to wait for someone to show up to take custody of the prisoners. Luckily, there was plenty of food and water there to keep everyone fed until the Samurai showed up.

Sadly, that meant the genin were stuck spending half their day feeding some of the bandits. At least that was what it took the other genin to feed their group of bandits. Naruto fed all of his at once with his clones and the day before the Samurai showed up, Kurenai took the time to pull Naruto away from the others for a talk.

They walked away from the village and Naruto was curious as to what was going on. Kurama had already told him that the woman had no negative intent though so he wasn’t worried. Once they were a respectable distance away from the village Kurenai spoke. “Are you alright, Naruto?”

The boy instantly understood and slowly nodded his head. “I won’t say I am not still thinking about it Kurenai-sensei, but I have a dream and focusing on that helps.” He said with a determined look.

The woman smiled softly. “Tell me about your dream, Naruto-kun.”

The blond nodded with a smile at her words and launched into telling her his hopes for the future. “I have been mistreated in Konoha, because of the fact that the Kyuubi was sealed inside me.” He said, stating this as a fact. “I don’t want that to happen to anyone else. No one should be treated as less than human. I want to change Konoha. The village takes missions for money and I get that it is needed.

Still I want it to change. I want Konoha to be a place that cares more about honor and justice than money. I want the shinobi of the village to see something going on and fix it instead of looking the other way. I want everyone in the village to be seen as equal no matter how much money they have or how strong they are.”

Taking a deep breath the boy continued. “I know that it is impossible to have that happen but it doesn’t mean it is a goal that isn’t worth striving for. I will do everything I can to make it happen.” Kurenai smiled a little and patted the boy’s head at that. His dream was something worth striving for after all. “Keep your focus on that Naruto and I will be proud of you if you succeed.”


	8. The Exams Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending some time with his friends Naruto enters the first stage of the chunin exams

 

Naruto sighed as he sat down in his apartment. Ever since they had made it back from Tea, everyone was treating him like he was fragile. He understood that he had killed someone, and he understood what that meant.   
  
He felt guilty about it as well, but he also knew that he had to do it. The man hadn't been in his right mind and was wanting to sacrifice anyone that had come to his town. The Lord of Tea sung praises for the Konoha teams that had taken the mission and paid them for a B-rank mission in the end.   
  
Shaking those thoughts free, the blond decided he should do something productive. As his team wasn't training today his options were to go train himself or go spend time with someone. As that thought came to mind Naruto realized that he wanted to visit Konohamaru and check on the boy anyway.    
  
He started for the academy with that thought in mind. As he walked, he realized that he should take Kurama and visit Shino as well. That would be his second stop once he finished at the academy.   
  
When he got to the large building, he stopped and looked towards the single swing that was attached to a nearby tree. A small smile graced his face as he looked at it. Not only was this the place he spent a lot of his free time during his academy years, but this was also the spot he had first met Konohamaru.   
  
Keeping that smile, Naruto walked inside the building. He would go see Iruka and Konohamaru and make sure the boy was doing alright.He asked a secretary inside the academy office which rooms those he sought were in and learned that Iruka was actually teaching Konohamaru's class now.   
  
He headed to the right classroom and knocked politely on the door. Iruka answered it a second later and the man had a smile on his face. "Well, what brings you back here, Naruto?"   
  
The blond scratched the back of his head and chuckled. He really didn't have a proper reason to interrupt the class and had to hope Iruka wouldn't realize the excuse he came up with was a lie. "You see, sensei, I just remember how boring your lessons are and thought your students might like to talk to a real ninja."   
  
Iruka obviously didn't like the boy's excuse and his eye twitched. "I am a real ninja, Naruto."   
  
The genin chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. It is just you never leave the village and go on missions like I have been. I thought it might be good for them to hear the truth of ninja life. That it isn't all about going out and saving princesses and the like."   
  
The man shook his head but laughed lightly. "A vast majority do think like that I suppose and it might be good for them to hear what you have done so far."   
  
With that done Iruka brought Naruto in and introduced him, although not before getting interrupted by Konohamaru who shouted out a greeting to his 'boss.' With the introduction over Naruto looked at the students in front of him. He already could tell that Konohamaru was making friends now that the boy had settled down somewhat.   
  
This was evidenced by the fact that the boy had two different students sitting beside him and the girl to his left had swatted Konohamaru on the head while the boy laughed and then Konohamaru and the girl laughed as well.   
  
It brought a little more warmth to Naruto's smile before he spoke up. "So as Iruka-sensei said, I am a genin of the village and have gone on several missions. The same type of missions that you can look forward to when you graduate. I am going to tell you about them but before that, there is something that each of you need to hear."   
  
Taking a breath in, Naruto thought of all the times Kurama had talked to him about what a ninja did and what was expected of them. "Being a ninja certainly sounds cool when you are young. But, it is not a game. A ninja is a weapon of the village and expected to kill in order to protect the village, but we are also human and we have to live with ourselves afterwards."   
  
The class had been rather rowdy until those words left his lips and now a tense silence had descended on the group. 

"When you first graduate you will train with the team you are assigned, you will be expected to do chores for the civilians in the village for a little bit of cash. These are referred to as D-rank missions and they are boring, but it gives you time to bond with your teammates and that’s important.   
  
Then you will start C-rank missions with your team and that is where you run into danger. You see, a low C-rank will likely be to escort a merchant or leave the village to investigate something. These normally have a rather low risk but you will occasionally run into bandits and the like." The blond paused here and looked over the class.

They were hanging on his every word at this point. Some of them looking uncomfortable. “It is best you know of this now. When you are fighting those bandits you might have to kill them. You won’t always but it not always unavoidable. There is a greater danger on these missions though. Because not every client is honest. Anytime you leave the village on a mission, you run the risk of the difficulty changing. On my last mission, my team and I were attacked by a B-rank missing-nin.”

Here, Naruto knew they didn’t need the whole truth of what happened, so he simply said, “My teammates and I could have died and we didn’t graduate all that long ago. It is important for us all to know from a young age how serious being a ninja really is.”

\---

Naruto didn’t stay at the academy too long after he talked to the class, and he was headed to the Aburame Compound before lunch had started for the students. He knew that Konohamaru would likely come to find him later, as the boy seemed to want to talk to him.

As Naruto made his way across the village he was joined by Kurama and he smiled at the demon. They both knew that Shino knew the truth about Kurama. Not only was he a logical thinker, but his insects could tell if someone was lying due to uncontrollable fluctuations in their chakra systems. Naruto thought that he could get away with his half-truths and lies but there had been several times on their most recent mission that he could tell that the bug using ninja knew the truth.

As Shino hadn’t yet told anyone and seemed to still want to be friends with Naruto, the blond felt like he should try to spend more time with him as friends and not just as teammates.

The blond figured that they could go get something to eat today, or maybe play some games. He wasn’t entirely sure what they would end up doing but that was mainly because the only other friend he ever had was Kurama and the demon was content to sleep all day curled around Naruto’s body.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, Naruto noticed he had arrived at his destination and saw Shino had stepped out of the house to greet him. “Good afternoon Naruto. Has sensei sent for us?”

Naruto shook his head. “No, I just thought that maybe you might want to hang out today since we had the day off.”

The bug user stood there silent for a moment before replying, “I suppose we could train.”

Naruto laughed at that. “Really… I ask if you want to hang and you suggest training. Is there nothing else you want to do today, my friend?”

Shino seemed confused at that. “We… are… friends?”

Naruto nodded slowly. “Well yeah, you're my best friend… Aren’t you? I mean you know the truth about Kurama and you don’t hate me for it. We are teammates true, but we get along fine and I just thought that we were friends.”

Kurama stopped Naruto from rambling anymore when he mentally pointed something out. ‘ **_He is happy with you calling him a friend Saiai. He is smiling._ ** ’

Naruto noticed the minuscule tilt of Shino’s lips after Kurama pointed it out and smiled a warm smile himself. “So what do you actually want to do today, Shino?”

The Aburame kept silent for a moment once more as he thought things through. “If it is agreeable to you… I would like to go for a walk in the forest and hunt for some insects. I need to collect some beetles for my family.”

Naruto nodded his head happily. He didn’t care what the two of them did, as long as it was something Shino actually wanted to do. “Sounds like fun, Shino. I know the perfect spot to start looking. It is one of my favorite hunting grounds because no one else really goes there.”

Naruto ended up leading Shino to the small wooded area he was talking about. The blond, of course, didn’t know that the reason almost no-one was there was because of the fact that this section of woods once belonged to the Uchiha Clan, but that fact hardly mattered.

It certainly didn’t matter to Sasuke who had no intentions of touching a vast majority of his family’s assets until Itachi was dead. It also wasn’t known to Shino, who found several large groups of insects and by the time the two boys headed home for the day, the Aburame had collected several specimens to take with him.

By the time Naruto returned home he had a large smile on his face. He made the decision to visit Ino soon as a friend and not just a teammate as well. She might not know everything that Shino did, but she was still his friend too. 

\---

The next day Team Ten had met up once again and Asuma had a surprise for them. Once they had all gathered the man gave each of them a slip of paper and told them to read it. Naruto followed his directions and looked at the paper.

**Konoha Chunin Exams Admittance Slip**

**Vouching Jonin - Asuma Sarutobi**

**This slip provides the holder with the right to participate in the Chunin Exam Selection taking place in Konohagakure no Sato. If you wish to participate then be at the academy in room 304.**

**Congratulations.**

Naruto reread the slip in his hands a few times before grinning. In his hands was proof that Asuma believed in them.

Before the Uzumaki could say anything, Kurama was speaking to him. ‘ **_Keep in mind Saiai that the first few stages are team-based. Your entire team must join in to compete. I have no doubt that they will, but do you think they are ready for it?_ ** ’

Naruto took that moment to look at Ino and Shino and he nodded. ‘ _ I know Shino is prepared. He is a logical thinker and from our team training, I know he is stronger than most think him to be. Ino, on the other hand, will likely fail to get promoted but her mindset since our first mission has improved and I think she will do alright. _ ’

Asuma noticed Naruto’s appraising gaze towards his team and then the boy’s confident smile and it brought a proud smile to the Sarutobi’s face. The man figured that out of all the rookie teams, his would do the best.

\---

The last few days before the exam, were spent honing the skills the genin already knew. It kept them from being too overworked for the tests they would have to pass. So now here they stood in front of the academy, bright-eyed and ready for the challenges ahead.

All three of them had changed attire for this event as well. Naruto now wore a white zip-up hooded jacket with three black stripes on the sleeves, a black collar, and a black border around the zipper. He also had on a blue set of pants. Ino had asked why he had chosen to dress that way and the boy merely smiled at her and whispered that it was a secret. Of course, dressing in an outfit so similar to what his father had worn at his age was more a prank than a secret, but the best pranks were kept secret.

Shino was still wearing a long coat that had a tall collar, but it was dark green and had a hood as well. His clan’s signature sunglasses were in place as well as usual. Naruto sometimes wondered if he slept with them on. Ino had on her normal purple top and skirt but her white bandages had been traded in for black ones. Something that would be harder to see if she needed to hide.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto led his team into the building and they headed for the stairs. After going up the first flight, they entered into a hallway that would lead them to the second flight. In the hallway, though there was a group of people looking at one of the doors.

Paying them no mind, the three continued on until they found the second flight of stairs and made it to the third floor. Their room was the second one on the right and when they stepped up to the door, Asuma stepped out of the shadows nearby. “Well, I didn’t have any doubts, but it is good that all three of you are here.”

Shino nodded his head. “Because the first few exams area always team-based, correct? I learned as much from my clan members. They tend to brag about their time in the exams whenever a new one is going on.”

Asuma smiled at the boy. “That is true, and I am sure you three will have some bragging to do when you are done.”

Kurama took that moment to poke his head out from within Naruto’s jacket. “ **Yes… They will have a lot to brag about when their teammate wins in the finale. Also, I should warn the rest of you that there are two other Jinchuuriki participating. From the chakra levels, I would say the one-tailed container and the seven-tailed container.** ”

Asuma went wide-eyed at that. It was almost always an unspoken rule to never send a container to exams within another village. That wasn’t to say it never happened, but it was an incredibly rare thing to see. In fact, most containers got promoted in the field rather than at exams. 

“Are you certain,” he asked. 

The fox nodded his head. “ **I am.** ” He said before switching to mindspeak. ‘ **_Your team will likely not have to worry too much about Lucky Number Seven. He is rather laid back and has been sealed within Waterfall for years. He likely was sent here with his container to simply help get missions. My weakest brother is insane though and you will have to be wary of him._ ** ’

Talking about the Kyuubi was rarely done by the blond to his team, too many chances to mess something up and expose Kurama. That information though, needed to be shared. “Kyuubi is in agreement with Kurama. He also says that Seven isn’t really a concern but that One is crazy.”

The other genin in the group shifted nervously. Suddenly unsure of their decision to enter the exams. Naruto gave them a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry guys. I will handle them if it comes to a fight. I have to protect Kyuubi’s rep as the strongest after all.”

Ino didn’t really relax at that, but Shino did. The other boy met Naruto’s eyes and gave him a nod. “We should head inside. The chances of us running into them in the first exam is as low as it will get and any experience in the exams will be useful.”

With that in mind, the trio entered the room. Instantly they were assaulted with the killing intent from a couple of hundred other genins from around the elemental nations. Shino and Ino both shook a little but Naruto turned to them and met them head-on. He took that moment to let his eyes shift to red, drawing on a little of Kurama’s chakra.

It had been an uncontrollable reaction to his friends being threatened but Naruto couldn’t take it back now. So instead, he sent a mental apology to Kurama for not asking permission and then carried on with sending a wave of demonic killing intent back at the other genin.

Most instantly turned away. A few looked worried and one mint-haired girl gave him a bright smile and skipped over to his team. 

“THAT WAS SO COOL!” She called out as she got over to them. Her two teammates didn’t even bother trying to follow her. “Did Nine get upset when you drew on his chakra like that? Seven never lets me use his chakra for small things like that.”

Naruto didn’t even have a chance to answer her when she asked a question before she had started speaking. “In fact Seven thinks it is weird you drew on it at all. He also says that you having a fox is weird and that your fox is-”

Before the girl could say anything else Naruto had reached out and touched her shoulder as Kurama mentally instructed him to do.

The next thing either of the Jinchuuriki knew they were standing in a large open field with their respective Bijuu behind them. Kurama for his part wasted no time and was laying down with a yawn a moment later.

The girl looked around in shock before speaking again. “How did we get here? What is this place? Why is the fox behind you? What-”

Kurama though didn’t let her continue. “ **Slow down for a moment and we can answer some of those questions.** ” When she didn’t say anything else Kurama continued. “ **Now how about introductions. My name is Kurama and this is my future mate Naruto.** ” The demon knew that would shock his brother, but if there was ever a sibling he was going to be honest with, Chomei was it. Not that he would hide that fact from any of his siblings. 

Naruto. Was. His.

Chomei was the seven-tailed beetle. Although that was a lie in and of itself. The creature was a large rhinoceros beetle that had one tail and then six wings growing from that tail. 

Naruto took that moment of shock from the other two to exam Fuu. He had seen that she had mint green hair earlier and vaguely noticed her orange eyes. She had on a white crop top and a white skirt with a red leather belt.

Finally, the weaker Tailed Beast spoke. “ **It is good to see you brother, but mate? I will admit to being more than a little confused. Still, I am happy if you are. I am Chomei young human but feel free to call me Lucky Number Seven. This is my container and larva Fuu.** ”

Fuu for her part just smiled and waved and Kurama spoke again. “ **It would take to long to explain everything but I will tell you that I see nothing but the good in the heart of my young mate and he has helped me realize what father saw in humanity. However, I believe I should answer some questions for your container before she bursts.** ”

The mint-haired girl nodded up and down really fast so Kurama continued. “ **To answer all of your earlier questions. I am the fox that was with Naruto and I did not mind him using my chakra. He did it because he saw his teammates and friends being threatened. We are now in a shared psyche that can only exist when two or more Jinchuuriki are touching.**

**It comes about because of the fact that there is a plane of existence that only a Bijuu can reach where all of the tailed beasts are connected.** ” Kurama explained with a chuckle. 

The girl in front of him reminded him of a younger Naruto. Of course, under his tutelage the blond had settled down a lot and this girl had a darkness in her heart that his Saiai didn’t.

Fuu gave the fox a smile. “So how did you and the fox meet? Chomei has just always talked to me since he was sealed in me on my seventh birthday. What about you?”

Naruto was going to answer when the beetle spoke. “ **We can talk later. We can’t stay in here too long without too much time passing in the real world.”**

Kurama nodded,  **“We can talk the first chance we get in between exams. Act like my form in the real world is that of a normal fox though.** ”

With that decided, the world around the two fell away and they were left looking at each other back in reality. Fuu gave Naruto a grin and started skipping away a second later. 

“We will talk later brother!” She called over her shoulder and Naruto shook his head with a smile.

A few seconds later, a stream of genin started pouring in and Naruto noticed most of them were from the group that had stopped on the second floor. The last of the group consisted of a smirking Shikamaru, a pouting Sakura, and a bruised Sasuke.

Naruto snorted a laugh, figuring that Sasuke had just pissed off one of the other genin hopefuls. That didn’t really matter though. What did matter, was the fact that Ino was getting glared at by Sakura and Naruto knew his team was about to get dragged into a conversation. What was worse was that Team Eight was standing with Team Seven and Hinata was staring so creepily at Naruto that the blond boy wanted to shiver.

Kurama for his part was barely holding in a growl. ‘ **_She is still staring at what is mine. Even though I have claimed Naruto as mine in front of her. I want to rip her apart right now. Those eyes of hers can see through clothing and I swear if I learn she has ever looked at him in a way that only I should be allowed to I will feed her own eyes to her._ ** ’ The demon thought privately to himself. Sakura chose that moment to speak. “Finally give up and realize that Sasuke-kun’s heart will be mine, Pig?” The pink-haired girl called out.

Ino shook her head in response and replied in a clear level headed voice. “No Sakura. I just realized that Sasuke wasn’t really someone I was interested in.”

The other girl looked as if Ino grew a second head but Sasuke let out a very audible sigh of relief. That got a chuckle out of Naruto as he walked over to the others. Shikamaru and Sasuke both noticed Kurama a second later. No one was able to say anything though because a white-haired teen came up to them at that moment.

The teen gave them a friendly smile and spoke up right away. “So you are the rookies right? You should try to keep a little quieter.”

Naruto didn’t focus on who was talking after that for several minutes because Kurama wanted his attention. ‘ **_That male smells of antiseptic and death. Not the type of smell on a doctor either, he smells more like a mad scientist would. He also reeks of bad intentions._ ** ’

Naruto focused just a little more on the teen as he barely heard that his name was Kabuto. Kabuto was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt under a purple sleeveless shirt. He also had purple gloves and pants on. The boy was also wearing glasses and had a Konoha headband. ‘ _ So he isn’t to be trusted then. I wonder what he really wants with us. _ ’

At this point, Kabuto pulled out a deck of what appeared to be blank cards. “These are my Ninja Info Cards. All you have to do is ask and I will tell you what I know about any contestant in the exams.”

Sasuke smirked at the thought of getting that information. “Give me any information you have on Rock Lee.” After all, that was a good place to start as far as the raven-haired boy was concerned.

Naruto didn’t really pay attention to the rather basic stats that was listed off about Rock Lee. Honestly, anyone in Konoha could have gotten the information if they felt like it. It wasn’t like the teen was telling them anything that was supposed to be a secret. Most B-rank missions and below were public record. 

Kurama shifted slightly as he sensed something coming from the side though. ‘ **_Attack from out left._ ** ’

With the demon’s warning in mind, Naruto reacted without thought. He wasn’t entirely sure who the attack was meant for, but it could be meant for his team so he wasn’t going to let it succeed.

There had been two males, both members of the sound team. One had jumped into the air and readied two kunai and the other was dashing in from the crowd. Naruto had moved towards the one of the ground while his sword had materialized in his hand and he didn’t worry about the kunai.

The reasoning for that was because the Uzumaki knew that the moment he reacted to the attack, Shino would be half a step behind him. He was right too, because the moment the kunai left the airborne ninja’s hand they were intercepted by two shuriken.

The airborne attacker was then swarmed by insects and knocked unconscious as he had his chakra drained. This left the ground attacker for Naruto to deal with. Sword in hand the blond focused his chakra into the seal that would temporarily blunt the edges.

The Konoha genin wasted no time in drawing his blade and slashing the still conscious attacker. The force of the blow was enough to knock the other boy out and at that moment the proctors for the first test entered the room.

Taking stock of the situation a man dressed in black with a few scars across his face spoke up. 

“Alright listen up. There is no fighting in this section of the exam. The Oto team is disqualified for attacking another team and because two of their members are unconscious. Team Ten if you hadn’t been reacting to an attack you would be too. As it is you are on thin ice so be sure not to break any other rules.”

Naruto nodded as he left his sword fade away once more and stood beside Shino who he gave a barely noticeable nod of thanks to. With that situation now controlled, each of the genin were given a number that corresponded to a seat at one of the tables in the room. 

As they sat down the man from earlier spoke once more. “My name is Ibiki and I am in charge of this stage of the exam.” 

From here the man explained that each genin would be given a test that had nine questions on it. They would have to pass the test based on a combined point scoring method and at least everyone on their team had to get one question right. They would have an hour and then be given a tenth question.

There were also a couple of rules regarding cheating which confused the blond. When Ibiki told them to start their test Naruto tried to piece together what was going on. 

‘ _ He said we only lose points for cheating. We also have to get at least one question right, but looking at these questions there is no way anyone but a bookworm with no real life could answer them all. _ ’

Kurama sent a mental nod to the boy. ‘ **_What does that tell you Saiai?_ ** ’

Taking a breath the human thought it through a little more. ‘ _ It is almost like they want us to cheat, but if that is true then why have lookouts watching for us? _ ’

The demon chuckled mentally at that. ‘ **_Because in the real world, when you have to gather information… You will have to slip in under an enemy’s nose, get your information, and then get out without being seen. The test is designed to test your covert intelligence gathering._ ** ’

Naruto sent a mental thanks to the demon as a look of understanding came over him. That meant that he had to think of a creative way to cheat and do it without getting caught. The downside would be that he had no real way of doing that.

His main information gathering technique would be the Shadow Clone Jutsu and that would be too obvious. He could ask Kurama as the demon would likely know most of the answers to the questions, but before he had the chance several insects landed on his paper.

One question at a time the insects started giving him the answers by lining up and forming kanji with their bodies. A smile was on the blond’s face as he rushed to write down the answers. He would have to think Shino after the test was over.

With his test finished Naruto closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. It would be a while still before they had to worry about the tenth question. That being said the Uzumaki had no idea what the tenth question would be.

He could spend his time worrying about it or he could trust that he would make it through this phase of the test with his team. Besides Asuma had faith in them so they had to make it to the finals at the very least. 

Although, before too much time had passed, Naruto did start to feel nervous as team after team was caught cheating and dismissed. By the time they were told to put their pencils down, a quarter of the teams had been eliminated. 

After getting everyone’s attention Ibiki spoke up. “Alright, it is time for the tenth question. However, there will be some extra rules attached to it. The first rule is that if you don’t get the tenth question right you and your team fail. The second rule is that if you fail you can never again participate in the chunin selection exams!”

That got several shocks of outrage from everyone but Naruto took a deep breath. He was sure that whatever question he was asked Kurama would know it and since he could still cheat five times without getting caught he would merely tell his teammates the answer.

Ibiki had by this point handled the objections that had arose and continued talking. “That being said I am a lenient man and will give you a choice on whether or not you want to quit now or take the tenth question. If you quit now you can always try again next year.”

Naruto almost scoffed at that. ‘ _ A ninja won’t always have the luxury of backing down. Sometimes you have to have the guts to risk everything to succeed. _ ’ He thought.

‘ **_That is exactly the point._ ** ’ Kurama replied.

The response confused Naruto but the demon refused to acknowledge his questions.. Still, giving up wasn’t something the Uzumaki would ever willingly do. With that in mind, he watched as team after team was dismissed and he watched as Sakura put her hand up and gave up as well. 

Sasuke looked livid at the shaking girl while Shikamaru placed a hand on her shoulder. The first exam wasn’t over and already one of the rookie teams had been eliminated. As Team Seven walked from the room Naruto levelled Ibiki with a determined glare.

After a few minutes when teams stopped leaving the room, only twenty teams remained. That was when Ibiki cleared his throat. “Well then, to those who remain… congratulations on answering the tenth question correctly.”

Kiba couldn’t help but shout at that. “What in the hell do you mean!?”

The man chuckled in response. “The decision to carry on or not in the face of the unknown when the odds are stacked against you… That was the tenth question. Those who gave up failed because they gave up on their mission when the stakes were too high.” At this point the man removed his bandana showing that his forehead and skull were lined with scars. “There will be times in your career where you will have to decide to press on for the sake of the village or give in because you are scared. A chunin has to be able to make the call to press on instead of turning tail and running away.”

Before anything else on the matter could be said though, a large ball of cloth crashed through one of the windows and from within that ball a woman emerged. She threw several kunai that caught the edges of the cloth and caused it to unroll. Within seconds there was a woman standing in front of a banner.

**The Single and Sexy Mitarashi Anko**

Naruto couldn’t help but look the woman over. She had purple hair that was pulled up in a ponytail with her bangs loose and framing her face. She had on a mesh shirt and mesh shorts and then an orange skirt. To finish her outfit she had on a tan trench coat and the blond had to admit that she was attractive. 

Of course the moment the thought crossed his mind he heard Kurama speaking to him. ‘ **_Am I to be replaced Saiai? Would you prefer the voluptuous vixen to little old me? I am hurt._ ** ’

Naruto knew the demon was teasing though. ‘ _ You know I would prefer you to anyone else Kurama. _ ’

The demon let out a pleased growl within their shared conscious connection. ‘ **_That is good Saiai but if you so desired, we could bring a female into our bed for a night or two. Just think of the things we could do._ ** ’

Naruto knew that the demon was teasing still but the mental images that brought up caused him to fight incredibly hard to hold in a blush. ‘ _ We both know you don’t share, Kurama. _ ’

The demon chuckled at that. ‘ **_True enough Saiai. Besides from the scent of the purple haired one, she prefers the company of other females._ ** ’

Naruto decided to do his best to ignore that though as anything he said would lead to more teasing. Instead, he focused on what Anko was saying. “A few more teams than normal. You aren’t going soft on me are you Ibiki?”

The man shook his head and ended up looking right at Naruto. “No Anko… Just a determined bunch this year.”

The woman smiled a bloodthirsty smile as she turned back towards the genin. “Well, no matter. By the time I am done with them, their numbers will be halved at the least. Alright, maggots meet me at training ground forty-four first thing in the morning. If you are not there then you fail. Consider finding it part of the second task.”

With her piece said, the woman jumped out of the window she had crashed in through and Ibiki was left shaking his head. “Well you heard her, you are dismissed for the day.”

Naruto was near the rear of the room and was the first one out the door. Once in the hallway though, he waited. When Ino walked out of the room he waved her off and told her he was alright and that she should go on home. Fuu was out the door a second after the blonde had left and Naruto greeted her.

Scratching the back of his head the male container told her his intention. “I actually want to talk more with you, but I also want to talk to the other container that is in the exam. I haven’t actually got to talk with another container before. I have met one but Kurama did all the talking.”

The mint-haired girl smiled at him. “That sounds like a wonderful idea! I haven’t got the chance to meet the other container in the exams either. I wonder what he is like. Lucky Seven says that their little brother is completely bonkers. I hope his container knows how to handle him.”

Naruto nodded and the two of them stood waiting for the other genin to appear. Fuu’s teammates walked out a minute later and the girl told them she would meet them back at the hotel. Then Shino came out. Naruto made sure to thank him for his help in the first stage of the exams before telling the taller boy that they would see each other again the following morning.

Then the genin that Naruto and Fuu were waiting on, came out of the room after everyone else had cleared out, including the proctor. It was the first time that Naruto had got a look at the Suna team and they had all exited together. The female of the group was wearing a mesh shirt and a white top and skirt. Her sandy blonde hair was up in four pigtails and her Suna headband was around her neck. She also appeared to be the oldest out of all of them.

The older of the two males was standing beside her to the left. He was wearing a black suit that had a hood and had a bundle wrapped in bandages on his back. He also had purple markings on his face.

Then there was the youngest of the three and who Naruto knew to be the Jinchuuriki. The boy had messy red hair and teal eyes. Around his eyes, the skin was black giving him a racoon-like feel. He had on a mesh undershirt, a black sleeveless shirt and black pants. He also had gourd on his back and a white sash.

Fuu smiled at him and was the first to speak up, while Naruto was meeting his eyes and worrying about the murderous glare the boy had. “So you are number one, huh? Well, I am number seven and he is number nine. We were wondering if you wouldn’t mind talking with us for a while. I have never met another Jinchuuriki and neither has he.”

Both of the boy’s other teammates froze while Gaara looked at Naruto and Fuu a little odd. Kurama for his part sensed something though and jumped from the confines of Naruto’s hoodie. Right as he landed he was shifting his form into the horse sized fox with five tails and batting away several tendrils of sand that had sprung from the gourd. 

With the sand knocked away one of the tail’s wrapped around the redhead’s throat and slammed the boy into the wall. The other two Suna genin were about ready to fight when Kurama spoke. “ **You should really think about what you are doing. My container merely wanted to speak to you. You should also ask that oversized, flea-bitten tanuki what happens when someone tries to harm what is mine.** ”

The redhead winced not a moment later and then bowed his head. “I… am… Sorry.” He said after a tense moment and the fox dropped him. “Mother says the three of us should talk.”

Fuu looked confused. “Mother?”

Kurama spoke once more at that. “ **He is talking about the Ichibi but that can wait until we are all alone.** ” With that, the fox shrunk down and jumped back into Naruto’s arms. 

Naruto nodded and smiled at Kurama. “Thanks...” He muttered before looking towards Fuu and Gaara. “The three of us should go somewhere private to talk. Your teammates can come if you want, Fuu’s didn’t want to and I sent mine on to make you both more comfortable. I know of a good place. It has a lake too, so we can go for a swim if we want.”

Fuu smiled and that and bounced up and down in excitement. “I love swimming. That could be so much fun and it will help us relax as we talk. What are we waiting for let's go!” The redhead for his part said nothing although he did nod. So with that, Naruto led them from the building and the three containers made their way to an out of the way pond within one of the rarely used training grounds. 

At the training grounds, the three containers turned to face each other. “Well to start off, we should introduce ourselves.” The blond container said. “My name is Uzumaki Naruto and as you all know now, this is the Kyuubi no Kitsune.” 

The Kyuubi, after being introduced, jumped from his mate’s arms and transformed back into his five tailed form. He made sure to keep an eye on the redhead, not trusting his youngest brother to behave himself.

Fuu was smiling and acting carefree, but it was clear that the Nanabi had said something to her because her eyes were tracking the teal-eyed boy’s movements. “My name is Fuu and I contain lucky number seven.”

It took several moments of silence before the final container spoke. “My name is Gaara of the Desert.”

Naruto nodded his head having a face to put to the name now. “Well, Gaara and Fuu… I guess the first thing I should do is give you a warning. While I would like to be friends, Kyuubi and I will crush you if you try to hurt my village. Konoha isn’t perfect but it is my home and I will protect it.”

Fuu gave the blond a big grin. “Well with that out of the way. Let's go for a swim!”

Gaara for his part shook his head. “I don’t swim.”

The mint-haired girl didn’t seem to like that though because she turned her big orange eyes on the redhead. “Please…. It will be more fun if we all go together. Don’t you want us to all have fun together? I want us all to be like the best of friends. Can’t we all go swimming together?”

The redhead shook his head here though and turned to Naruto. “Mother says I should tell you something.”

Kurama was the one who spoke up though. “ **What would your** **_mother_ ** **want us to know?** ”

Gaara didn’t let the other demon butting in affect him visibly though, and merely continued on with what he was saying. “Suna is planning to invade Konoha during the finals with the help of a new hidden village. Oto was the village’s name I believe.”

Kurama’s eyes narrowed at this and he shifted to his human form and placed a hand on Gaara’s shoulder before the redhead could react. Naruto got to see what it was like for someone to go to the tailed-beast plane from the other side at this point and watched as both of the others froze for a few seconds before moving away from each other.

Kurama started chuckling though. “Crazy is right… Then again I have no right to judge sister.” He said as he shifted back into his small fox form and jumped into Naruto’s arms.

The three Jinchuuriki stayed at the lake and spent several hours talking, although it was mostly Fuu and Naruto that actually talked. However, by the time they left, Gaara had opened up slightly.


	9. Time To Thin Some Numbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second phase of the exams and the preliminary matches are sure to thin the herd of chunin hopefuls.

It was the night before the second phase of the Chunin exams and several jonin were in the bar talking. Asuma was currently sitting next to Kurenai and Kakashi.

“I still can’t believe that Sasuke is out of the exams now.” The silver-haired jonin said.

That got a laugh from Asuma and Kurenai as well as Anko who had joined the three. “How much money had you bet on him to make it to the finals again, Kakashi?”

Asuma answered Anko’s question. was the one to answer the purple-haired woman’s question. “He put down about an A-rank mission’s worth.”

Kurenai didn’t seem happy with either of the two men at that. “And just how do you know that Asuma?”

Kakashi, not wanting to face Kurenai’s wrath alone decided to throw his friend under the bus. “Because he was there to make his own bet. What was it Asuma, a B-rank mission’s pay that your team would make it through the second exam by the third day?”

Kurenai seemed about ready to give both men a tongue lashing when Anko chimed in. “Well, I think he might be right. I talked to Ibiki about the incident before the start of the first exam. Seems Uzumaki managed to blast the opposition with some Kyuubi enhanced killing intent. I doubt most of the other genin will want to fight the brat if he can do that at will. I know that all the animals will steer clear of him. Plus with an Aburame on his team, it would be simple to set a trap using some of the nastier insects in the forest.”

Asuma chuckled a little. “See, a safe bet. Not me being irresponsible.”

Kurenai shook her head and the group started laughing. “None of you have grown up at all these past ten years.”

Anko gave the woman a grin. “Can’t improve on perfection, so why change.?”

\--- Meanwhile---

Naruto sighed as he looked towards the seemingly never-ending expanse of stars that made up the night sky.

“Do you think we should go to someone with the information Gaara gave us Kurama... It might lead to a war and we don’t know if it is true. You said Shukaku liked to cause chaos, what if this is a trick?”

The currently horse-sized fox that the blonde was using as a pillow took a second to reply.

“I spoke to him Naruto and I believe they are being truthful. The fact of that matter is that Shukaku knows that bringing harm to the Leaf, and by extension, you, would invoke my wrath. Not only does he want to look out for himself, he also wants to watch out for Gaara.”

That made Naruto frown. “I thought he hated his containers though, why would he want to look out for Gaara?”

Kurama shifted his tails to cover the blond since it didn’t seem like they were leaving this clearing tonight. “I learned something interesting about how Gaara became a Jinchuuriki when I spoke to Shukaku. It seems my youngest brother was sealed into Gaara while the human was still in his mother’s womb. Shukaku spent five weeks sealed in Gaara as the boy’s brain and lungs finished developing.

During this time Gaara would spend hours grasping and squeezing Shukaku’s chakra and then when the birth killed Gaara’s mother due to Shukaku’s chakra my brother decided that he would be Gaara’s mother. When I first heard Gaara refer to my youngest brother as Mother I thought it was a ploy to drive the boy insane, but my brother actually means well, he is just batshit crazy and that has led to Gaara ending up the same.”

Naruto closed his eyes and felt himself drifting off. “Okay then, first chance we get after the second exam tomorrow we will find Asuma-sensei and let him know about Sand and Sound’s invasion.”

\---Next Day---

The sun was shining down on all the genin as they got ready for whatever challenge awaited them. They had all already gathered together in front of training ground forty-four, or as it was named according to the signs, the Forest of Death.

Now, most of the genin were either excited or nervous, but Naruto wasn’t. No, he was lost in thought. ‘ _This forest, this is where everything started. This is where you saved me Kurama._ ’

The fox let his small tail raise up and brush against Naruto’s cheek for a moment. ‘ **_It is indeed. This forest is filled to the brim with monstrous plants and animals. My guess is that this exam will be a survival exercise. Do not worry though saiai, if anything tries to actually harm you I will rip whatever it is to shreds if I believe there is any real danger._ ** ’

Naruto smiled and sent a wave of affection through the mental link to Kurama. ‘ _Always my protector._ ’ He muttered happily.

The demon sent the human a mental image of the blonde surrounded by nine fur-covered tails. Naruto could tell that the mental image version of his was being shielded from everything, including things he didn’t need to be protected from.

‘ **_Until the end of time saiai._ ** ’

Naruto spent the next several minutes focusing more on the love and devotion that his demon showed to him and paid no attention to the Procter explaining the rules of this stage of the exams.

He stayed that way until he was handed a form to fill out stating that no legal troubles would be raised if he died in this exam. Paying only enough attention to the form to make sure there weren’t any tricks to what he was signing, after all, something like that could have been part of the test, Naruto signed and initialled it.

At that point, they were told they would receive one scroll and needed to get a second one from one of the other teams within the forest. That being the case Kurama removed himself from Naruto’s arms to perch on the boy’s shoulders and whisper to Shino. Neither Naruto nor Ino could hear what was said but they figured that their teammates would tell them away from prying ears.

With that out of the way, the different teams were lead to one of the starting gates from which they would enter the forest. While walking to their gate Naruto came to realize that this was a survival exercise with a battle-royal element to it.

He found this out because Ino was complaining about not having enough packed to spend five days within the forest. Shino for his part managed to calm the girl by stating that as long as they made it to the tower within the first two days than she would have several days to relax inside.

The bug-users logical manner managed to calm the blonde and the group started to prepare for their gate to open.

“Shino, is anyone around? Like within hearing distance?”

Shino turned towards Naruto as a timer ticked on above their gates. “No one is within hearing distance.”

Kurama, in his fox form, grinned. “ **Did you do what I asked you to?** ” The Aburame nodded at the question. “ **Good, where is the closest heaven scroll to pair with our earth one?** ”

Shino pointed in a direction that was to the northeast of their position. “Judging by the number of gates we saw and how far apart they were, I would say the nearest team with a heaven scroll is three gates away.”

Kurama disappeared the moment Shino was done talking and when Naruto glanced at the timer he grinned himself. “The gates will open in five minutes and by that time we will be ready to race straight towards the tower. After all, there was no rule that we had to stay at our gates or that we couldn’t get a second scroll before we entered the forest.”

Ino pumped her fist when she pieced together why Kurama had run off. “YES! That means I won’t have to sleep in this stupid forest at all.”

Shino smiled as well, although Naruto could only barely tell. “That is why Kurama told me to leave some bugs in the tent to attach to people who got the counterpart to our scroll. I am ashamed I didn’t think of such a tactic myself.”

Naruto waved him off with a good-natured laugh. “Don’t beat yourself up Shino. Between the three of us, you are the strategist and the best planner, but Kurama is a fox and he is probably more cunning than anyone else in the village.”

Shino nodded. “That is true, he is certainly clever.” The bug user said.

The three of them fell into a comfortable silence at that point as they watched the timer tick down. By the time it had gotten to thirty seconds remaining, Kurama had shown back up with his tail coiled around a heaven scroll.

It was almost sad to see. Naruto wouldn’t have minded proving that he had no reason to be scared of the animals that dwelled within this forest any more. That being said, the blond knew that he was just being prideful and that was no reason to make thing tougher on his teammates. Not only was getting to the tower fast a good idea but it also meant they would fight less and revealed fewer skills to any possible competition.

The moment the timer hit zero and the gates opened, Naruto took the lead. Creating a few shadow clones that would head out in front of them just to be safe the team raced off towards the tower.

It took them one hour and twenty minutes to get to the tower and along the way, Naruto had seen a wolf. O, one that was four times the size of the ones that had attacked him when he was younger and had first met Kurama. He sent it flying through a tree himself with a triumphant grin.

There were several doors at the base of the tower and peaking in a few of them showed that they looked the same inside so the team just went inside the fourth one they had examined instead of looking into more of them.

Getting inside they saw that the only thing inside the room was a large poster of some kind. The poster read

**if qualities of heaven are your desire**

**acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher**

**if earthly qualities are what you lack**

**then train your body in fields and prepare to attack**

**when heaven and earth are open together**

**the path of peril will revert to the righteous path forever**

**this " " is the secret way**

**that guides us form this place today**

When he had finished reading it Naruto looked at the scrolls. “The poem talks about heaven and earth, do you think we have to do something with the scrolls?”

Shino nodded. “I believe we must open them. After all, we were told not to open them before we made it to the tower or we would be disqualified… It stands to reason that someone will know when we open the scrolls.”

When Naruto opened the scrolls, his eyes went wide. He threw them away a moment later and entered into a fighting stance while his mind raced. ‘ _A reverse summoning seal on both of them, as well as a suppression seal for the earth scroll seal on the heaven scroll. A chakra recognition seal tethered to the summoning seal, and a seal to reroute and summon someone else if the first choice is unable to be summoned!_ ’ It was truly impressive seal work Naruto would have to think more on that later.

As the scrolls hit the ground a large amount of smoke appeared and a very audible pop was heard. When the smoke cleared Iruka was standing in front of the team. “Naruto, Shino, Ino… You guys have made it to the tower already? Well, I guess congratulations are in order. Not only did you pass the second exam but in record time too.”

Being told they passed and seeing who was summoned, Naruto relaxed. “It is just you Iruka-sensei. When I saw all those seals I was worried.”

Iruka looked at the blond with a skeptical frown. “You recognized the seals?”

The Uzumaki nodded with a smile. “Yeah, and I know what they are for too. You got a reverse summoning seal on both of them. It summons a proctor if one of them is opened that is how you would know if someone in the forest opened one. Then on the heaven scroll, there is a suppression seal so that the summoning seal isn’t activated twice when both scrolls are opened.

A chakra recognition seal so that you know who opens the scrolls and a redirection seal for the summoning seal in case a proctor receives a summons but can’t make it. I am not at a level to make any of those seals yet but I can recognize most components to it.”

Iruka’s eyes had widened as Naruto spoke but he chuckled at the end. “You are only missing one part. There was a seal that would only activate if you were in the forest on there as well that would instantly knock you out. The summoned proctor would then deposit the offending team out of the forest.”

Naruto shrugged at that. It didn’t matter to him and he wasn’t a seal master or anything. Still, he would need to read more about seals and get to where he could recognize any that he saw, even if he didn’t quite understand the mechanics behind them. Then it would only be original seals that were based off mechanics that he would need to worry about.

With that, the group ended up talking a little more with Iruka telling them that the previous record for making it to the tower was three hours and it was set by Itachi Uchiha who had done the test solo when he was seven.

Iruka had told them not to let that go to their head however, after all this test had been made roughly a year before Itachi had set that record meaning that a majority of Konoha’s finest hadn’t tried their hand in it while genin.

They were then told they would have to spend the remainder of the five days that this test took up in the tower. Still, Ino was happy not to have to sleep in the forest and the two boys were happy that she wouldn’t be complaining about roughing it, not that she complained about that too much anymore.

___---Break---___

It had been five days since Naruto and his teammates had made it to the tower. Unsurprisingly to the blond, Gaara and his sibling made it around an hour after they had and Fuu and her team made it two hours after that.

Naruto had ended up spending half his time with his team and half his time with his fellow Jinchuuriki. It seemed that his closeness with Gaara freaked out the redhead’s siblings and Fuu’s teammates seemed to just not care about her in the slightest bit which irritated Naruto.

The next few days had more teams coming in and eventually, the fifth day had passed and all of the genin that had made it to the tower, were led into what seemed to be an arena. Above the main floor was a balcony that had enough room for all the genin and their teachers.

Naruto for his part ended up standing on the balcony with his teammates to his right and his fellow Jinchuuriki to his left. With everyone gathered the Hokage spoke to the genin. He explained that the Chunin exams were basically the villages way of showing off their strength and that this helped prevent wars as well as drew business to the participating villages as feudal lords would have a better idea of who they could hire for high C-rank missions.

Then it was revealed that there were far too many contestants and that the numbers would need to be thinned down. A sickly jonin was then brought forward to explain the rules. Basically, it was a no-holds-barred one-on-one fight. The only thing that was asked was for everyone to try to keep from killing each other.

Then a screen was revealed that would randomly pick from the pool of genin to determine fights.

**Gaara of the Desert vs Choji Akimichi**

The first fight was announced and Naruto turned to see Gaara grinning. He couldn’t help it, the blond liked Choji after all. Choji and Shikamaru might not have been friends with the Uzumaki but they were all close in the academy and Naruto knew that he could be good friends with them in the future.

“Gaara don’t kill or permanently maim him please.”

The redhead seemed to grumble at being asked that but nodded slightly as the two contestants headed towards the ring. Temari and Kankuro who had heard the question just scoffed thinking that the kid was as good as dead.

When both fighters were ready the match was started. Choji didn’t move at first and neither did Gaara, although the cork top of the gourd that was on the redhead’s back did get sent flying somehow.

Choji for his part wasn’t moving because he was thinking. ‘ _I would prefer not to fight, but… I have to. I have to give my best here._ ’ The slightly chubby boy thought as he glanced towards his team. ‘ _We made it this far by working together but what Kurenai-sensei said when we started this exam is right. Kiba is a good fighter and tracker but he is primarily offensive in combat while Hinata can disable her opponents and track them down._ ’

The Akimichi looked Gaara dead in the eyes at this point. ‘ _My role on the team is to be the shield that protects the other two, but if I can’t fight with my all to protect my team then what good am I. I will prove here and now that I am strong enough… strong enough to protect everyone!_ ’

With that, the boy performed a single hand sign. “I will prove that I am strong enough to be a shield for my village!” Choji shouted while throwing a punch without moving towards Gaara. “ **Partial Expansion: ARM!** ” The boy’s arm was suddenly ten times the size it normally is and slammed into a wall of sand that barely jumped towards Gaara’s defense in time. The redhead went wide-eyed from behind that wall while Choji pulled his shrinking arm back to him.

“ **Partial Expansion: LEG!** ” The Akimichi called out as he kicked out with a suddenly expanded foot. Once more the blow was blocked by a wall of sand, but this time the sand wrapped around the leg, only for the limb to shrink down and get pulled away from the sand.

Choji took this moment to jump into the air. “ **Partial Expansion: LEGS!** ” With both of his legs five times larger, the chubby boy sent them both down towards the redhead. When the sand blocked his attack this time the wall cracked.

Gaara for his part was still standing there surprised. He hadn’t expected a genin besides Naruto and Fuu to be able to come close to breaking his shield. With his attack blocked again, Choji let his legs return to normal and landed several feet away. Only for his arms to start growing.

“ **Partial Expansion: ARMS!** ” As both arms and hands grew Choji clapped his hands together sending the sand around Gaara flying. Before the redhead could react, a solid blow from one of the expanded arms slammed into him and sent him rolling away.

Choji was panting at this point, not use to using so many techniques in such quick succession. “Please surrender. I held back with that punch to avoid hurting you too much but I won’t hold back next time.”

Meanwhile, everyone in the stands was staring in amazement. “I didn’t know Choji was that strong. Your student is really impressive Kurenai.” Asuma said with a shocked tone to his voice.

Kurenai smiled. “He has been that impressive since the team was formed. He just doesn’t like to hurt people. The only thing I have needed to teach him was that sometimes we have to fight, in order to protect the ones we care about.”

Naruto looked towards Gaara with a worried frown hoping the boy would stay in control. “He is probably one of the strongest genin in Konoha, I just wished he had a better matchup.”

That statement confused Kurenai but nothing else was said.

Gaara’s siblings though were shaking and in shock. Gaara had just been hit and the only thing they could do is pray that he didn’t snap completely.

Back in the ring Gaara was standing up and dusting himself off. His nose and lip were both bleeding and he had to force himself to keep calm. Even just a few days ago he would have been too unstable to do more than kill the one who had made him bleed, but the truth was that Kurama scared both him and his mother enough that he found it easier to stay calm rather than invoking the other demon’s wrath.

Staring at Choji for a moment Gaara looked towards Naruto and nodded once. “I was asked not to kill you so I won’t. You should know that you are strong as none of the shinobi my age have ever broken through my defense.”

With his piece said Gaara looked towards the proctor as Choji was suddenly encompassed in sand from the particles that were on the ground when the Akimichi had scattered them. With that, the match was called and the sand slowly moved back into Gaara’s gourd.

When Gaara and Choji climbed the stairs to the balcony again Naruto smiled at them both. He noticed however, that Choji was looking a little thinner and he wondered why.  Still, the blond turned his smile to Gaara.

“Thanks for not hurting him Gaara.”

**Yoroi of Konoha vs Hoki of Taki** was the next match that was called and it was altogether boring. Yoroi sucked chakra out of his opponent and Hoki got caught by him. Before the teen could pass out though he delivered a solid kick to Yoroi’s temple and the fight ended with a double knockout.

**Rock Lee vs Shino Aburame**

Rock Lee was a black haired boy with grey eyes that had on a green spandex bodysuit. Naruto was a little worried that Lee’s experience would make this hard for Shino, but he still trusted that his teammate would win.

When both contestants were ready and the match was started, Lee shot towards Shino with a speed that made Naruto’s eyes widen. ‘ _He’s so fast._ ’

As Shino dodged the blow and then continued dodging more of them Kurama spoke. “ **He is faster than he looks too. Every time his foot hits the ground he shifts it as if distributing a lot of weight. If I had to guess under those orange leg warmers are some rather heavy weights.** ”

Naruto tried to pay attention as Lee raced towards Shino once more and he noticed what Kurama was saying.

“It is barely noticeable but you are right. The ease at which he moves while doing it… How long has he had to have been training with weight and why isn’t he just using his chakra to help handle the weight?”

His conversation with the fox in his arms got the attention of almost everyone in the balcony but it was Lee’s sensei and adult clone that answered.

“That is because Lee has no talent for moulding his chakra. It is his dream to prove that he can be a splendid shinobi with just Taijutsu however, a dream that I believe he is well on his way to reaching.”

Naruto frowned at the information when he caught sight of Shino replacing himself right as Lee moved in for a punch and blinked milliseconds before the blow connected. Kurenai noticed it too and Naruto frowned.

“His hands are bandaged and even here in this tower, the bandages are scuffed like he was training. It is just sad that his determination won’t work out in this instance.”

As the blow connected Shino’s body burst into bugs that swarmed Lee. the boy tried to knock them off but after seconds he was on the ground panting and within ten seconds the boy was unconscious. Naruto looked towards Gai.

“If he has no talent for moulding his chakra than his coils would be too small to stand against Shino.”

**Neji Hyuga vs Misumi of Konoha.** The match was over the moment it started. Neji was a Hyuga and his opponent charged in without a plan and suffered for it. During this fight, Naruto did make sure to congratulate Shino, who up close you could tell was covered in bruises, and give the taller boy a pat on the back.

**Ino Yamanaka vs Kiba Inuzuka**

Ino and Kiba both made their way to the arena floor and Naruto watched on worried. He knew that Kiba was faster, with a more devastating taijutsu style, and the Inuzuka had Akamaru as well. Ino meanwhile wasn’t an up close fighter and most of her training is to be a scout. She had some tricks on her and Naruto just hoped she could come up with a good plan.

As the two fighters got ready to face off Kiba couldn’t help but grin. “Man this is gonna be such an easy fight I’ll actually be a little disappointed. I mean I get the weakest member of your team and a girl to boot. This will be cake. Akamaru I don’t even think I will need your help. Heh, maybe when I win you will let me take you out to make it up to you that you're out of the exams Ino.”

Ino, hearing this, was seething in rage. ‘ _That perverted bastard. Thinks just because he has enhanced senses and a little more power in his punches that he can win. He really thinks he can insult me and then ask me out in the same breath._ ’ As the girl clenched her fist though she couldn’t help but grin as he thoughts gave her an idea. ‘ _Perverted and enhanced senses._ ’

As the match was called Ino gave Kiba a sultry look causing the dog-nin to blush a little. “You wouldn’t really hit me, would you Ki-Ba-Kun.” She drew out his name and gave him a wink while reaching for her ninja pouch that had a few scrolls in it.

Kiba for his part was stuck in place stuttering a little as Ino leaned forward and licked her lips. “As for the date… Ki-Ba-Kun,” The brown-haired boy’s eyes were wide and focused on the blonde when she got what she needed from her pouch and opened the scroll while focusing chakra.

A pillar of smoke momentarily blocked Ino from view before flowers were suddenly scattered everywhere and Kiba grabbed at his nose while Ino rushed him.Akamaru whined and forced his head under his paws. In fact, everyone in the area was covering their noses. “NOT ON YOUR LIFE, MUTT!” She roared before bringing her foot up above her head, performing a perfect standing split. She then brought her foot down right onto’s Kiba’s head knocking the boy to the ground.

Placing her hands on the Inuzuka’s shoulders she flipped her body around and brought both knees down onto Kiba’s back. Standing up the boy was unconscious and Ino pumped her fist.

“That's what a puppy gets when he thinks he is the top dog, dog-breath!”

In the stand, Naruto smiled at his teammate. It was rather smart of her, to bring out her stash of what was probably the worst smelling flowers ever. She used them to make a odor that kept animals from their camp and it was rather effective. Naruto was suddenly glad that Kurama could shut their senses off if the need arose as he recalled just how bad those things smelled.

**Temari of the Desert vs Fuu of Taki**

After Ino had made it up to her teammates, the next match was called and the fighters squared off in the arena. Temari was the older of the two and looked confident if the cruel smirk on her face was anything to go by.

“You might as well give up girly. I wouldn’t want to hurt you too badly in your first exam.”

Fuu though just smiled and started cracking her knuckles. “Well then, let the best woman win, yeah?”

Temari readied her battle fan and shook her head seeing that Fuu was going to fight. The truth of the matter was that the older of the two girls were scared witless. She was about to fight a Jinchuuriki and her experiences with her little brother had shown her how outclassed she was by a container.

When the match was started Fuu was in front of Temari in an instant and throwing a punch. Temari, as she normally would, blocked with her fan. This was a mistake though, as the metal on her fan dented inward. Fuu’s punch was strong enough that the steel had dented and now the sand user would find herself unable to open her fan.

Well, she would have if she had kept her fan on her, but the force of the blow had sent shockwaves through the fan into Temari’s arms. They were bad enough that she felt her arms go numb and she dropped her fan. Fuu followed her attack up with a solid blow to Temari’s face.

This not only knocked the sand ninja out, but sent her flying back several feet. Fuu headed up the stairs with a skip in her step having won her match and was congratulated by both Naruto and Gaara.

**Naruto Uzumaki vs Kabuto Yakushi**

The next match was called and Naruto had to sigh as he saw Hinata staring at him as he headed down to the arena. He could also hear Kurama in his mind.

‘ **_Please just let me kill her, she is still staring at you, following you around, obsessed with you. It is like she can’t understand that you are mine and will never be her’s._ ** ’

Naruto had to agree that she was creepy but he didn’t see a point in killing her. He just hoped she would back off soon. Still the blond figured it would be best to focus on the fight and not his creepy stalker. With that in mind, the Uzumaki took in a breath and readied himself as him and Kabuto both got into fighting positions.

Kabuto for his part had taken an odd stance considering his hands were straightened as if he would fight with chops instead of punches. Naruto paid him no mind though and took in a breath as his sword appeared.

Most jonin went wide-eyed at the sight of the sword. After all the craftsmanship was second to none and no one had seen a sword that had that kind of energy running down the blade before. One specific contestant, the female from Team Gai, was staring at the sword with stars in her eyes, trying to think of a way to just get a look at it.

That wasn’t important to Naruto, however, as he faced Kabuto he gave the older boy a smile.

“I would suggest surrendering Kabuto-san.” He said in a friendly manner. Internally though he was thinking something else. ‘ _Should I blunt my sword Kurama?_ ’

The demon was quick to reply as the match was started. ‘ **_He is coming with the intent to kill Saiai, put him down quickly!_ ** ’

As Kurama was speaking through his and Naruto’s mind link, Kabuto activated his chakra scalpel technique and charged forward.

Every single jonin, as well as the observing Hokage, could easily see the white-haired boy going in for a kill strike. All that was going through Kabuto’s mind was the same thing over and over. ‘ _Both Danzo and Orochimaru-sama want the boy dead. Orochimaru is already mad he didn’t get to mark Sasuke-kun and if I fail here than Gaara won’t participate in the invasion… I have to kill him!_ ’

With what Kurama said in mind Naruto stepped back to avoid Kabuto’s attack and swung his sword. Even if he hated killing, Naruto knew that Kabuto was not someone to trust. He remembered Kurama’s warning back in the first stage of the exams as well. A mad scientist that smells of death.

Even if he hated hurting others, what Naruto did enjoy was the sound of his sword slicing through the air. The enjoyment came from months of practising with the blade. The weight of his sword was perfect and Naruto could tell that this blow would slice Kabuto in half if the older boy wasn’t able to move in time.

Kabuto believed he had an ace in the hole though and moved back just enough that he would only get a light scratch instead of substituting. Naruto frowned as he saw that but allowed his sheath to appear on his hip and sheathed his blade.

Kabuto seeing that chuckled. “Don’t tell me that is all you got? What happened to suggesting I surrender?”

Naruto looked at the cut and noticed it was healing over and figured that Kabuto assumed he was fine to go on.

“Whatever experiments you have done to yourself to make it to where you heal like that, it won’t matter. In the first stage of the exams, my partner told me how you reek of death and that as we prepared to fight that you reeked of bad intentions. You can’t fool Kurama-kun’s nose after all.”

Kabuto wanted to snort and laugh but he suddenly felt a little queasy and fell to one knee. Naruto took this as his cue to continue.

“The fact of the matter is that there are only nine people alive, and that includes myself, that can survive a single cut from my blade. You aren’t one of them Kabuto-san.”

As Naruto said this, Kabuto felt his body getting weaker. However, the white-haired teen forced himself up and charged at Naruto one more time. He could feel that his body would give out soon but he refused to fail his mission. “Even if I die… I will KILL YOU FOR OROCHIMARU-SAMA!”

As Kabuto made it to Naruto though the blond formed a sealless shadow clone in front of him that took the blow. As the clone dispersed and Kabuto went to fall to the ground Naruto brought his leg up and kicked the older teen to send him flying back.

As Kabuto landed on the ground he started convulsing. It had taken longer for the demonic chakra to kick in due to the teen’s healing power, but Kabuto was finally feeling the full effects and Naruto knew that in a matter of moments, Kabuto would be dead.

The proctor called the match in Naruto’s favor and he went up into the stands, only to have to deal with Gaara pouting about how he didn’t get to kill someone but Naruto did.

The last two fights were rather one-sided. Kankuro fought Fuu’s other teammate and knocked the other male unconscious with his puppet who was walking around in his place while the real Kankuro was wrapped in the bundle of cloth the man carried on his back.

Then Hinata ended up fighting Neji and Lee’s female teammate Tenten. The white-eyed girl kept glancing up towards Naruto for validation and the longer she went without getting it, the more depressed she got. Eventually, Tenten knocked her out with a metal three section bo-staff.


End file.
